Robot teaching assistance device and plate holding position setting method

Abstract

A robot teaching assistance device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a robot teaching assistance device for teaching an operation of a robot for holding a plate material in order to perform bending by a press machine, and is provided with: a machining information acquisition unit for acquiring machining information; the acquisition unit is used for acquiring shape information for determining the shape of the plate and processing information for determining the positions and the processing sequence of a plurality of processing lines on the plate to be subjected to bending processing; and a holding region determination unit that determines, on the basis of the positional relationship of the plurality of processing lines, a holding region in which a holding position at which the robot holds the sheet material is to be set.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a robot teaching aid and a method for setting the position of a plate. Background Technology

[0002] A machining system has been used in which a robot holds the sheet metal and positions the sheet metal between the die and punch of a stamping machine. It is also known to simulate bending operations in a computer and check whether the sheet metal, robot, and stamping machine interfere with each other during processing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-515792 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0007] When performing multiple bending operations on the same sheet material, if the robot does not maintain the sheet material in the proper position, proper processing may not be possible, or processing errors may become significant. Generally, the holding position of the sheet material held by the robot is set by the operator considering the shape of the sheet material and the bending process. Patent Document 1 describes a method for a computer to determine interference between the robot and other components, but it does not mention the appropriate holding position when performing multiple bending operations on the same sheet material. Therefore, a technology that can properly set the holding position of the sheet material held by the robot is desired.

[0008] Solution for solving the problem

[0009] One aspect of this disclosure is a robot teaching aid that teaches the actions of a robot for holding a sheet metal for bending processing by a stamping machine. The robot teaching aid includes: a processing information acquisition unit that acquires shape information for determining the shape of the sheet metal and processing information for determining the position and processing sequence of multiple processing lines on the sheet metal to be bent; and a holding area determination unit that determines a holding area for setting a holding position for the robot to hold the sheet metal based on the positional relationship of the multiple processing lines. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a bending processing system equipped with a robot teaching aid according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 This is an example of passing. Figure 1A schematic diagram of a bending processing system used to process sheet metal.

[0012] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the process of maintaining the position setting of the robot teaching aid.

[0013] Figure 4 It is shown in Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the initially hypothetical segmented areas on the board.

[0014] Figure 5 It is shown in Figure 2 On the board Figure 4 The following is a schematic diagram of the hypothetical segmented region.

[0015] Figure 6 It is shown in Figure 2 On the board Figure 5 The following is a schematic diagram of the hypothetical segmented region. Detailed Implementation

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a bending processing system 1 equipped with a robot teaching aid 30 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The bending processing system 1 includes a stamping machine 10, a robot 20, and a robot teaching aid 30. The bending processing system 1 performs bending processing on sheet metal W. A metal sheet, typically a steel sheet, is an example of the sheet metal W that is bent by the bending processing system 1.

[0017] The stamping machine 10 has a fixed die 11 and a vertically movable punch 12. The die 11 has a V-shaped processing groove on its upper surface, which forms a straight line when viewed from above. The front end of the punch 12 is inserted into the processing groove, has a mountain-shaped cross-section corresponding to the angle at which the sheet metal W is to be bent, and extends parallel to the processing groove. The stamping machine 10 performs a bending process by clamping the sheet metal W between the processing groove of the die 11 and the front end of the punch 12, bending the sheet metal W to conform to the angle of the front end of the punch 12.

[0018] Robot 20 holds the sheet metal W and performs the taught actions, thereby arranging a processing line on the die 11. This processing line is hypothetically the line along which bending processing should be performed on the sheet metal W. Robot 20 can be configured to include: a robot body 21; a holding head 22 disposed at the end of the robot body 21 and capable of holding the sheet metal W; and a robot control device 23 that controls the robot body 21 and the holding head 22. The robot body 21 can be a vertical multi-joint robot as shown in the figure, but is not limited to this; it can also be, for example, an orthogonal coordinate robot, a horizontal multi-joint robot, a parallel robot, etc. The structure of the holding head 22 is not particularly limited; in addition to a structure with an adsorption pad that adsorbs the sheet metal W through vacuum as shown in the figure, it can also employ an electromagnet that magnetically adsorbs the sheet metal W, a gripping finger structure that clamps the sheet metal W, etc. The robot control device 23 can be integrally or separately provided with the robot body 21. The robot control device 23 is implemented by one or more computer devices having memory, processor, input / output interface, etc., and executing appropriate control programs, and controls the movements of each drive part of the robot body 21 and the holding head 22 to execute the pre-taught actions.

[0019] The robot teaching aid 30 assists in teaching the robot 20, which holds the sheet metal W for bending processing by the aforementioned stamping machine 10, to perform its movements. The robot teaching aid 30 can be implemented using one or more computer devices having a memory, processor, input / output interface, etc., and executing appropriate processing programs. The robot teaching aid 30 can also be installed independently, but it is preferably integrated with the robot control device 23, or configured as a device communicating with the robot control device 23, or as part of it. In other words, the robot teaching aid 30 does not have to be a physically or programmatically independent device; it can be implemented as a function of the robot control device 23, or as a function of a management computer, data server, etc., communicating with the robot control device 23.

[0020] The robot teaching aid 30 includes a processing information acquisition unit 31 and a holding area determination unit 32. These components may be components that classify the functions of the robot teaching aid 30, rather than components that can be clearly distinguished in terms of physical structure and program structure.

[0021] Processing Information Acquisition Department 31 Figure 2 The illustrated sheet material W is used to obtain shape information for determining the shape (outline shape) of sheet material W, and multiple processing lines L1, L2, ..., L3 on sheet material W are used to determine the bending processes to be performed on sheet material W. n (Subscripts indicate the processing sequence, n represents the number of processing lines, and in) Figure 2The position of n=3 (including the direction from the top view) and multiple processing lines L1, L2, ..., L n The processing information includes the processing sequence. The processing information acquisition unit 31 can be configured to acquire shape information and processing information from a management computer, database, or the like connected via a network, or it can be configured to provide a user interface that allows the user to input shape information and processing information.

[0022] The regional decision-making department 32 maintains multiple processing lines L1, L2, ..., L n The positional relationship determines the holding area A of the holding position P to which the robot 20 should hold the sheet W. n Furthermore, the holding position P represents the position where the holding head 22 of the robot 20 holds the sheet material W, typically set to the center of the position where the holding head 22 abuts against the sheet material W.

[0023] Specifically, the holding area determination unit 32 sets the entire sheet material W as the initial area A0 of the holding area A, and repeats the process of holding one processing line L1, L2, ..., L according to the processing sequence. n Only one side is set as the new holding area A1, A2, ..., A n The processing will be handled by the final processing line L. n The defined retention area n The final holding position P should be set to the holding area A. n More specifically, the region decision unit 32 repeatedly performs the hypothetical process through the i-th processing line L. i Segment the (i-1)th preservation region A (i-1) The two segmented regions Ar were obtained i As i and divide the two regions Ar i As i The processing line L in the middle includes the processing line to be processed later. (i+1) ~L n The segmented region is set as the new preservation region A. i The final bending of the processing line L... n The two sides of the segmented region Ar n As n One of them is set as the final holding region A. n Furthermore, the segmented region Ar i As i Become the processing line L1~L that was previously bent. (i-1) same processing line L i The area between adjacent processing lines or the outer edges of sheet material W.

[0024] The retention area decision unit 32 can prompt the user for the final retention area A.n This allows the user to remain in the final retention area A. n Setting a holding position P can also be configured such that the final holding region A is... n The holding position P is automatically set to a predetermined position, such as the center of gravity or the intersection of the major and minor axes. The holding area determination unit 32 can determine the final machining line L. n The two sides of the segmented region Ar n As n Either of them is set as the holding region A n However, in order to maintain stability, it is preferable to designate the larger area as the maintenance region A. n .

[0025] In addition, the regional decision-making department 32 maintains a processing line L. i The two sides of the segmented region Ar i As i If both parties involve more than one processing line to be processed subsequently, they can also notify each other of any inappropriate processing sequence. When in the segmented area Ar i As i If both parties have processing lines that require further processing, regardless of the segmentation area Ar i As i Which one sets the final hold region A? n All of these require processing of the line L, which will be bent more than before when viewed from the retaining head 22. i In a process where the machining line Lx (where i < x ≤ n) is bent further forward, the subsequent machining line Lx may not be correctly positioned on the die 11 due to errors in the bending of the previous machining line Li. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable to inform the user that machining accuracy may not be guaranteed and to prompt a resetting of the machining sequence.

[0026] The robot teaching aid 30 described above automatically performs at least a portion of the robot teaching method of this disclosure. The robot teaching method of this disclosure is a robot teaching method for teaching the actions of a robot 20 that holds a sheet metal W for bending processing by a stamping machine 10, such as... Figure 3 The process includes: a step of determining the shape of the sheet material W (step S01); a step of setting the position and processing sequence of multiple processing lines to be bent on the sheet material (step S02); a step of determining a holding area to be set by the robot to hold the sheet material based on the positional relationship of the multiple processing lines (steps S03 to S11); and a step of setting the holding position in the holding area (step S12).

[0027] The process for determining the holding area where the holding position should be set includes: a process for initializing the cycle parameter i (step S03); assuming the process passes through the i-th machining line L i Segment the (i-1)th preservation region A (i-1) The two segmented regions Ar were obtained i As i The process (step S04); dividing each segmented region Ar i As i The processing line L should be processed (i+1) ~L n The process of performing set-based classification (by location) (step S05); the process of confirming whether both sets are empty sets (step S06); if both sets are empty sets, the segmented region Ar is... i As i The larger of the two is designated as region A. i The process of processing the dividing line (step S07); confirming whether both sets contain elements (dividing lines) (not empty sets) (step S08); notifying the user of an error indicating an inappropriate processing order when both sets contain elements (step S09); and dividing the region Ar when one of the two sets is empty. i As i One of the elements contained in the region is set as the preservation region A. i The process involves steps S010 and S11, including incrementing the loop parameter i. If step S11 is executed in this process, the process returns to step S04. Alternatively, if step S07 is executed, the process ends after executing step S12. Furthermore, during this process, when step S07 is executed, the process in step S06 involves dividing the region Ar... i As i If there are no further bending lines on either of them, the loop parameter i at that time point must be n. If step S09 is executed, the process ends immediately.

[0028] Regarding the aforementioned candidate region A n The decision, Figure 2 Let's take the board material as an example to illustrate. Figure 2 In the board material, firstly, such as Figure 4 As shown, imagine dividing the entire sheet material, i.e., the initial holding area A0, into two segmented areas Ar1 and As1, indicated by different shaded lines, using the processing line L1 that corresponds to the first processing step. Then, the segmented area As1 on the right side of the diagram, which includes processing lines L2 and L3, is designated as the next holding area A1. Next, as... Figure 5As shown, imagine dividing the holding region A1 into two regions Ar2 and As2 by the processing line L2 that should be processed for the second time, and designate the left-hand region Ar2, which contains the processing line L3, as the next holding region A2. Furthermore, as... Figure 6 As shown, imagine dividing the holding region A1 into two regions Ar3 and As3 by the processing line L3 that should be processed last. Since neither of them contains the processing line, the larger region Ar3 on the left side of the figure is set as the final holding region A3.

[0029] As described above, the robot teaching aid 30 of this disclosure and the robot teaching method of this disclosure that can be performed using the robot teaching aid 30 mechanically determine the holding area An in which the holding position P should be set in the sheet metal W without relying on the user's intuition or experience. Therefore, the holding position of the sheet metal W held by the robot 20 for bending processing by the stamping machine 10 can be appropriately set.

[0030] The following notes further disclose the above-described embodiments and variations.

[0031] (Postscript 1)

[0032] The robot teaching aid (30) disclosed herein teaches the actions of a robot (20) that holds a sheet metal (W) for bending processing by a stamping machine (10). The robot teaching aid (30) includes: a processing information acquisition unit (31) that acquires shape information for determining the shape of the sheet metal (W), and multiple processing lines (L) on the sheet metal (W) for determining the bending process to be performed. i The processing information includes the location and processing sequence of the processing lines; and the area determination unit (32), which determines the processing area based on multiple processing lines (L). i The positional relationship between the two parts determines the holding area (A) where the robot should hold the sheet (W). n ).

[0033] (Postscript 2)

[0034] In the robot teaching aid (30) of Appendix 1, the holding area determination unit (32) may also perform the following processing: set the entire sheet (W) as the holding area (A). i The initial region (A0) is processed in the following order: Imagine passing through one processing line (L). i ) Segmentation and preservation region (A) i The two segmented regions (Ar) were obtained i As i ), dividing the two regions (Ar i As iThe processing line (L) in the context of subsequent processing. (i+1) ~L n The segmented region (Ar) i As i Set as the new holding region (A) i ); and the final bending processing line (L) n The two sides of the segmented region (Ar) n As n One of them is set as the final hold region (A) n ).

[0035] (Note 3)

[0036] In the robot teaching aid (30) in Appendix 2, it is also possible that the area determination unit (32) will determine the processing line (L) of the last processing step. n The two sides of the segmented region (Ar) n As n The larger of the two regions is designated as the retention area (A). n ).

[0037] (Postscript 4)

[0038] In the robot teaching aid (30) of Appendix 2 or 3, it can also be used in one processing line (L i The two sides of the segmented region (Ar) i As i Both parties include the processing line (L) to be processed later. (i+1) ~L n In the case of (32), the regional decision-making department shall notify that the processing sequence is inappropriate.

[0039] (Note 5)

[0040] The sheet metal holding position setting method disclosed herein sets the position in which a robot (20) should hold the sheet metal (W) for bending processing by a stamping machine (10). The sheet metal holding position setting method includes the following steps: determining the shape of the sheet metal (W); setting multiple processing lines (L) on the sheet metal (W) for bending processing. i The location and processing sequence of the processing lines; based on multiple processing lines (L) i The positional relationship between the two parts determines the holding area (A) where the robot should hold the sheet (W). n ); and in the area of ​​retention (A) n Set the position in the settings.

[0041] The present disclosure has been described in detail above, but it is not limited to the various embodiments described above. Various additions, substitutions, modifications, and partial deletions may be made to these embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure or from the spirit of the present disclosure derived from the content set forth in the claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the order of each action and the order of each process are shown as examples and are not limited to these orders. As a specific example, the sheet material is not limited to rectangular sheets, and the processing lines may not be parallel to each other.

[0042] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0043] 1: Machining System

[0044] 10: Stamping machine

[0045] 11: Stamping Die

[0046] 12: Punch

[0047] 20: Robot

[0048] 21: Main body of the robot

[0049] 22: Keep your head up

[0050] 23: Robot control device

[0051] 30: Robot teaching aid

[0052] 31: Processing Information Acquisition Department

[0053] 32: Maintain the regional decision-making department

[0054] A i Maintain area

[0055] Ar i As i : Segmentation

[0056] L i Processing line

[0057] W: Board material

Claims

1. A robot teaching aid for assisting in teaching the actions of a robot that holds a sheet metal for bending processing in a stamping machine, the robot teaching aid comprising: The processing information acquisition unit acquires shape information for determining the shape of the sheet metal, and processing information for determining the position and processing sequence of multiple processing lines on the sheet metal to be bent; and The holding area determination unit determines, based on the positional relationship of the multiple processing lines, the holding area where the robot should hold the sheet metal.

2. The robot teaching aid according to claim 1, wherein, The retention area determination unit performs the following processing: Set the entire plate as the initial region of the retaining area; The following process is repeated according to the processing sequence: Imagine dividing the holding region into two segmented regions by one processing line; the segmented region containing the processing line to be processed next is designated as the new holding region; and One of the segmented regions on either side of the final bent processing line is designated as the final holding region.

3. The robot teaching aid according to claim 2, wherein, The holding region determination unit designates the larger of the two segmented regions on either side of the final processing line as the holding region.

4. The robot teaching aid according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, If the segmented areas on both sides of the processing line contain subsequent processing lines, the holding area determination unit indicates that the processing sequence is inappropriate.

5. A method for setting the holding position of a sheet metal, wherein the method sets the position at which a robot should hold the sheet metal for bending processing by a stamping machine, the method comprising the following steps: Determine the shape of the plate; The positions and processing sequence of the multiple processing lines on the plate to be bent are defined; Based on the positional relationship of the multiple processing lines, determine the holding area where the robot should hold the sheet metal; and The holding position is set in the holding area.

Images