A synergic control system and method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of synergic control system and method, it is related to industrial automation control field.The system includes workpiece processing equipment, robot, safety detection unit and controller.Controller is connected with workpiece processing equipment, robot and safety detection unit respectively, obtains and stores preset process parameters, according to this, determine timing control program, define the execution order and interlock condition between robot operation action and processing forming action.Controller sends control instruction containing process parameter to robot and processing equipment according to timing program, cooperates to complete automation processing cycle, while unifiedly executes safety interlock operation based on the safety state signal feedback of safety detection unit.The application solves the problem of poor action cooperation and incomplete safety interlock caused by discrete control by centralized scheduling and global safety interlock of single controller, realizes high-precision cooperative operation and intrinsic safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of industrial automation control technology, specifically to an automated operation system and method based on a controller to achieve unified collaborative control of workpiece processing equipment and robots. Background Technology

[0002] Workpiece processing equipment is widely used in the manufacturing fields of automobiles, home appliances, construction machinery, and aerospace, and is used to bend pipes, plates, or profiles into specific shapes. Taking pipe bending machines as an example, the mainstream CNC hydraulic or servo pipe bending machines usually use a dedicated controller as the control core, and use a touch screen to complete parameter setting and motion control.

[0003] In traditional operation modes, workpiece loading, mold alignment, auxiliary positioning, and finished product handling are all done manually, with equipment only responsible for actions such as bending, springback compensation, and mold removal. In this mode, operators frequently need to insert their hands or other body parts into high-risk areas such as the mold clamping area and the bending actuator's movement area, posing a serious risk of mechanical injury, including crushing, pressure injuries, and even entanglement. Existing safety measures mainly rely on passive means such as photoelectric protection devices, safety door interlock switches, and warning signs. While these can reduce risks to some extent, they cannot eliminate the safety hazards caused by human-machine interaction at the source of the operation, making it difficult to achieve the inherent safety goal of hazardous equipment. Furthermore, the poor product consistency and low production efficiency resulting from manual operation contrast sharply with the demand for unmanned operation in intelligent manufacturing.

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, some automation improvements have been attempted in the industry, such as equipping processing equipment with gantry robots or automata to form semi-automatic loading and unloading systems. These solutions typically include robots or gantry robots, gripping actuators, hoppers, and unloading platforms as execution units, with the processing equipment's built-in PLC and the robot's independent controller serving as their respective control units. These are complemented by position detection switches, emergency stop circuits, and simple I / O interfaces for signal exchange, while also incorporating area light curtains, mechanical guardrails, and independent emergency stop buttons for safety protection.

[0005] The general working process of this solution is as follows: Manual replenishment of materials in the hopper, with processing parameters entered on the processing equipment panel and the robot teach pendant; the robot picks up the workpiece and delivers it to the mold position, then sends a signal indicating completion of material loading; the processing equipment's built-in PLC receives the signal and performs clamping, bending, and mold removal actions, then sends a processing completion signal; the robot receives the signal and unloads the workpiece, and this cycle repeats. In case of abnormal situations, only a local emergency stop circuit is typically triggered, lacking a cross-system global safety interlock and fault-linked shutdown mechanism.

[0006] Through long-term practice, the inventors of this application have discovered that although the above-mentioned solution introduces robots to replace some manual operations, it has several fundamental technical defects.

[0007] First, the PLC and robot controller built into the processing equipment are programmed and run independently, and the two communicate only through a few hard-wired I / O points to transmit simple trigger signals. In this architecture, there is no unified global collaborative control program, the timing matching accuracy of actions is insufficient, and signal transmission delays or interference can easily cause the robot to enter the working area before the equipment has fully demolded and reset, or the equipment to start clamping actions before the robot has withdrawn, resulting in equipment collisions and interference.

[0008] Secondly, the plan still requires operators to be on duty near the equipment for monitoring, instruction, parameter entry, and anomaly handling. Humans and machines are not truly separated in physical space and work area. Operators are still within the working radius of the dangerous equipment, and the inherent safety level has not been substantially improved.

[0009] Third, safety signals such as safety door locks and safety light curtains are often only connected to the controller of the nearest device, failing to form a globally unified safety interlocking mechanism covering the entire work unit. In the event of an anomaly, it is difficult to achieve synchronous and rapid shutdown of the robot and processing equipment, resulting in delays and blind spots in safety response.

[0010] How to solve the problems of poor coordination, incomplete safety interlocks, and inability to truly achieve human-machine separation caused by the above-mentioned discrete control from the perspective of control system architecture has become a technical bottleneck that urgently needs to be overcome in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0011] In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a collaborative control system and method for workpiece bending processing that can achieve high-precision collaborative control and global intrinsic safety, so as to overcome the defects of the prior art caused by independent control architecture, such as motion interference, safety interlocking separation, and failure to truly separate human and machine.

[0012] A collaborative control system, comprising:

[0013] Workpiece processing equipment is used to perform processing and shaping operations on workpieces to be processed.

[0014] The robot is used to perform gripping, transferring and positioning operations on the workpiece to be processed before and after the workpiece processing equipment performs the processing and forming operation;

[0015] At least one safety detection unit is used to detect the safety status within a preset hazardous area and generate a safety status signal. The safety detection unit includes at least one of a safety door lock switch, a safety light curtain, and an emergency stop button. The safety detection unit is connected to the input interface of the controller using a normally closed connection, so that when a line disconnection or an abnormal safety status is detected, the controller triggers the safety interlock operation.

[0016] The controller is connected to the workpiece processing equipment, the robot, and the safety detection unit, respectively.

[0017] The controller is configured as follows:

[0018] Acquire and store preset process parameters;

[0019] Based on the process parameters, a timing control program is determined to be executed. The timing control program defines the execution order and interlocking conditions between the robot's operation actions and the workpiece processing equipment's processing and forming actions.

[0020] According to the timing control program, control commands are sent to the robot and the workpiece processing equipment respectively to coordinate the control of the two to complete the automated workpiece processing cycle. The control commands sent to the workpiece processing equipment include the process parameters.

[0021] The system receives the safety status signal sent by the safety detection unit and, based on the safety status signal, uniformly controls the workpiece processing equipment and the robot to perform safety interlock operations.

[0022] Optionally, in the above-mentioned collaborative control system, the workpiece processing equipment is any one of a pipe bending machine, a plate bending machine, or a profile bending machine.

[0023] Optionally, in the above-mentioned collaborative control system, sending control commands to the robot and the workpiece processing equipment according to the timing control program includes:

[0024] Send a loading command to the robot;

[0025] Obtain the security status signal sent by the security detection unit;

[0026] Determine whether the safety conditions are met based on the safety status signal;

[0027] After receiving the loading signal from the robot and determining that the safety conditions are met, the robot outputs a clamping command to the workpiece processing equipment.

[0028] Once the clamping signal is received from the workpiece processing equipment, a processing start command containing process parameters is sent to the workpiece processing equipment.

[0029] Once the processing completion signal is received from the workpiece processing equipment, a material unloading command is sent to the robot.

[0030] Optionally, in the above-mentioned collaborative control system, the control commands include action enable signals for the actuators of the workpiece processing equipment and the drive system of the robot, and the unified control of the workpiece processing equipment and the robot to perform safety interlock operations includes:

[0031] The action enable signals output to the actuator of the workpiece processing equipment and the drive system of the robot are simultaneously cut off, so that the workpiece processing equipment and the robot can stop in an emergency in sync.

[0032] It locks the fault status until an external manual reset signal is received.

[0033] Optionally, in the above-mentioned collaborative control system, the connection between the controller and the robot includes a hard-wired interface based on digital input / output and a communication interface based on a communication protocol; wherein, preset key control signals and status signals are transmitted through the hard-wired interface, and non-key data are transmitted through the communication interface based on the communication protocol.

[0034] Optionally, in the above-mentioned collaborative control system, the timing control program of the controller is equipped with signal anti-jitter logic, which specifically includes: performing delay judgment and / or repeated detection on the received input signal to filter out signal interference.

[0035] Optionally, in the above-described collaborative control system, the controller is further configured to perform at least one of the following operating modes:

[0036] Manual mode: When a manual control command is received, the workpiece processing equipment and the robot are controlled to run at a safe speed;

[0037] Automatic mode: When the safety conditions are met based on the safety status signal of the safety detection unit, the workpiece processing equipment and the robot are controlled to run automatically in a cycle at the process speed, and requests to open the safety door to enter the area are prohibited. The process speed is greater than the safety speed.

[0038] Optionally, in the above-described collaborative control system, the controller is further configured to:

[0039] Receive and store the target processing quantity;

[0040] After each workpiece processing cycle is completed, the completed count is automatically updated and compared with the target processing quantity;

[0041] When the count reaches the target processing quantity, the workpiece processing equipment and the robot are reset and stopped working.

[0042] A cooperative control method, applied to the controller of any of the above-mentioned cooperative control systems, includes the following steps:

[0043] Acquire and store process parameters;

[0044] The timing control program to be executed is determined based on the process parameters;

[0045] The timing control program generates and sends a loading instruction to the robot to control the robot to perform a workpiece loading operation.

[0046] After receiving the material loading signal from the robot, the safety conditions are determined based on the safety status signal from the safety detection unit.

[0047] When the safety conditions are met, a clamping command is generated and sent to the workpiece processing equipment. After receiving the clamping position signal output by the workpiece processing equipment, a processing start command containing process parameters is sent to the workpiece processing equipment to control the workpiece processing equipment to perform processing and forming operations.

[0048] After receiving the processing completion signal from the workpiece processing equipment, a material unloading command is generated and sent to the robot to control the robot to perform the finished product unloading operation.

[0049] The collaborative control system provided in this invention includes a workpiece processing equipment, a robot, a safety detection unit, and a controller. The controller is connected to the workpiece processing equipment, the robot, and the safety detection unit, respectively, acquires and stores preset process parameters, determines a timing control program based on these parameters, and defines the execution sequence and interlocking conditions between robot operations and processing actions. The controller sends control commands containing process parameters to the robot and the processing equipment according to the timing program, collaboratively completing the automated processing cycle, and simultaneously executing safety interlocking operations based on safety status signals fed back by the safety detection unit. This invention solves the problems of poor action coordination and incomplete safety interlocking caused by discrete control through centralized scheduling by a single controller and global safety interlocking, achieving high-precision collaborative operation and inherent safety. Attached Figure Description

[0050] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0051] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the collaborative control system disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0052] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a collaborative control system disclosed in another embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the operation flow of the controller in the collaborative control system disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0054] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection method between the controller, workpiece processing equipment, and robot in the collaborative control system disclosed in this application.

[0055] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a collaborative control method disclosed in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a collaborative control method disclosed in another embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 7 This application provides a timing diagram of the collaborative actions between a robot and a workpiece processing equipment in a collaborative control system and method. Detailed Implementation

[0058] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0059] This embodiment provides a controller-based collaborative control system. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the system includes a workpiece processing device 100, a robot 200, at least one safety detection unit 300, and a controller 000.

[0060] Workpiece processing equipment 100 is used to perform processing and shaping operations on the workpiece to be processed. It can be a pipe bending machine, plate bending machine, or profile bending machine, etc., that uses molds and a power mechanism to induce plastic bending deformation in the workpiece. See also Figure 2Taking a pipe bending machine as an example, it includes a bed, clamping cylinder, bending arm drive mechanism, mandrel mechanism, mold assembly, and position detection components such as clamping position sensor 101, origin sensor 102, and limit sensor 103. The control input terminals of all the action execution mechanisms of this equipment (such as the clamping solenoid valve 104 that controls the clamping or releasing action, and the processing servo driver 105 that drives the movement of the processing execution mechanism) are electrically connected to the output terminal of the controller 000, so that the controller 000 can directly control the start and stop of the clamping, processing, and demolding actions of the workpiece processing equipment 100.

[0061] Robot 200 is used to perform gripping, transferring, and positioning operations on the workpiece to be processed before and after the workpiece processing equipment 100 performs the processing and forming operation. Robot 200 includes a multi-axis robotic arm body, a gripping actuator (such as a pneumatic gripper), a robot base, a pipe positioning support mechanism, and a robot controller 201. In this system, robot controller 201 serves as the lower-level execution unit of controller 000. Its instruction input terminal is connected to the output terminal of controller 000, and its status output terminal is connected to the input terminal of controller 000. It receives start, stop, and reset commands from controller 000 and feeds back status signals such as ready, origin, and in position to controller 000.

[0062] The safety detection unit 300 is used to detect the safety status within a preset hazardous area and generate a safety status signal. The specific structure of the safety detection unit 300 depends on the safety content to be detected. For example, the safety detection unit 300 may include a safety door lock switch 301 installed on a safety fence, a safety light curtain 302 set at the boundary of the hazardous area, emergency stop buttons 303 distributed on the control panel, and a fault detection module 304, etc. The signal output terminals of these safety devices are all connected to the dedicated safety input port of the controller 000 to send corresponding safety signals to the controller 000.

[0063] The controller 000 (which can be a PLC controller) is connected to the workpiece processing equipment 100, the robot 200, and the safety detection unit 300. Specifically, the input ports of the controller 000 are connected to the various sensors (101, 102, 103) of the workpiece processing equipment 100, the status output signals of the robot 200, and the safety status signal output ports of the safety detection unit 300; the output ports of the controller 000 are connected to the various actuators (104, 105) of the workpiece processing equipment 100 and the command input ports of the robot 200.

[0064] In this embodiment, see Figure 3 Controller 000 is configured to perform the following functions.

[0065] Step S101: Obtain and store the preset process parameters.

[0066] See Figure 2 Operators can input parameters such as workpiece specifications, bending angle, feed length, and target processing quantity into the controller 000 through the manual interaction unit 400. The internal memory of the controller 000 stores these parameters for subsequent program calls.

[0067] The human-machine interface unit 400 may include a touch screen 401, a mode selection switch 402, an emergency stop button 303 (shared with the safety detection unit), and a running indicator light 403, and undertakes parameter setting and status monitoring functions. Operators can use the touch screen 401 to set parameters and select process parameters, and can use the mode selection switch 402 to switch the system's operating mode (manual mode and automatic mode). The emergency stop button 303 (shared with the safety detection unit) can be actively triggered by the operator in an emergency to control the system to stop. The running indicator light 403 is used to indicate the system's operating status.

[0068] Step S102: Determine the timing control program to be executed based on the process parameters.

[0069] After determining the process parameters, a timing control program corresponding to those parameters can be determined based on the target mapping relationship. This timing control program defines the execution sequence and interlocking conditions between the operation actions of the robot 200 and the processing and forming actions of the workpiece processing equipment 100. For example, the program is set to only allow the workpiece processing equipment 100 to issue a clamping command when the robot 200 has reached the material loading position and the safety conditions are met; and only after the workpiece processing equipment 100 has completed demolding and issued a processing completion signal is the robot 200 allowed to enter and pick up the part, ensuring the tight and real-time connection between the actions of the workpiece processing equipment and the robot.

[0070] Step S103: According to the timing control program, control commands are sent to the robot 200 and the workpiece processing equipment 100 respectively to coordinate the control of the two to complete the automated workpiece processing cycle.

[0071] In one workpiece processing cycle, the controller 000 first acquires the output signal of the safety detection unit 300, performs safety logic verification based on the output signal of the safety detection unit 300, and sends a loading command to the robot 200 based on the timing control program, so that the robot 200 loads the workpiece into the workpiece processing equipment 100. After loading is completed, the robot 200 sends a loading position signal to the controller 000. After receiving the loading position signal from the robot 200, the controller 000 sends a clamping command to the actuator of the workpiece processing equipment 100. After acquiring the clamping position signal output by the workpiece processing equipment, the controller 000 sends a processing start command containing process parameters to the workpiece processing equipment. After the workpiece processing equipment 100 finishes processing the workpiece based on the command, it sends a completion signal to the controller 000. After receiving the processing completion signal, the controller 000 sends a unloading command to the robot 200, so that the robot 200 removes the processed workpiece.

[0072] Step S104: Receive the safety status signal sent by the safety detection unit 300 in real time, and control the workpiece processing equipment 100 and the robot 200 to perform safety interlock operations based on the signal.

[0073] For example, during system operation, the controller 000 receives safety status signals from the safety detection unit 300 in real time and performs safety logic verification. If a safety hazard is detected, the controller 000 uniformly controls the workpiece processing equipment 100 and the robot 200 to perform a safety interlock operation. In this embodiment, the output terminal of the safety detection unit 300 is connected to the safety input pin of the controller 000. As soon as the controller 000 detects an abnormality in the input signal of the safety input pin (such as a jump), it immediately controls the workpiece processing equipment 100 and the robot 200 to perform a safety interlock operation, without performing safety logic analysis on the input signal of the safety detection unit 300, thus improving the response speed. For example, once the controller 000 detects that the safety door lock switch 301 is open, the safety light curtain 302 is blocked, the emergency stop button 303 is pressed, or the fault detection module detects a fault, the controller 000 immediately and simultaneously cuts off the enable signals (the control commands include the action enable signals of the actuators of the workpiece processing equipment and the drive system of the robot, etc.) to the actuators (104, 105) in the workpiece processing equipment and the drive system of the robot, so that the two stop synchronously in an emergency.

[0074] The overall workflow of the above system can be summarized as follows: After the system is powered on and initialized, the controller 000 completes self-test and reads the preset processing parameters, and then sends a loading command to the robot 200. After receiving the loading command, the robot 200 raises its lifting cylinder, grabs the workpiece from the hopper, and transfers it to the mold positioning point. After the workpiece is in place, it sends a feedback signal to the controller 000. The controller 000 controls the workpiece processing equipment 100 to perform a clamping action. After clamping, the controller 000 controls the workpiece processing equipment 100 to perform a processing action to shape the workpiece. After the workpiece is processed and demolded, the workpiece processing equipment 100 sends a processing completion signal to the controller 000. The workpiece processing equipment 100 releases the finished workpiece, and the controller 000 controls the robot 200 to grab the finished product and transfer it to the unloading area. The robot returns to its original position. After one cycle is completed, the system automatically enters the next cycle. The entire process does not require manual entry into the hazardous work area.

[0075] Through the above configuration, this embodiment achieves precise collaborative operation between the workpiece processing equipment 100 and the robot 200 under the control of a unified controller 000, and establishes a unified safety interlocking mechanism globally. This solves the problems of poor coordination and insufficient safety caused by independent control of dual systems in existing technologies from the control architecture level. Taking a pipe bending machine as an example, suppose that during automatic operation, the operator negligently opens the safety door during the robot 200's working cycle. In existing discrete control systems, the safety door signal may only notify the robot controller 201 to stop, while the pipe bending machine, due to not receiving the signal or a signal delay, may continue to perform the bending action. This results in the robot 200 stopping, but the pipe bending machine still moving towards its location, thus creating a safety hazard. In this embodiment, the safety door lock switch 301 signal is connected to the controller 000. After detecting an anomaly, the controller 000 simultaneously issues stop commands to both the robot 200 and the pipe bending machine within the same scan cycle, causing them to stop synchronously. This fundamentally avoids safety accidents caused by asynchronous actions.

[0076] In a preferred embodiment, the controller 000 performs a dual-condition judgment before sending clamping or processing instructions to the workpiece processing equipment 100. Specifically, it first determines whether the safety conditions are met based on the safety status signal output by the safety detection unit 300 (e.g., all safety door lock switches 301 are closed, the safety light curtain 302 is not triggered, and the emergency stop button 303 is in the reset state), and then determines whether it has received a loading signal from the robot 200. Only when both conditions are met simultaneously does the controller 000 connect the output to the clamping solenoid valve 104 of the workpiece processing equipment and send subsequent instructions to the workpiece processing equipment 100. This effectively prevents the risk of the equipment still initiating dangerous actions even if the safety device fails or is intentionally blocked.

[0077] Taking pipe bending as an example, after the robot 200 picks up the pipe and moves it to the designated alignment point inside the pipe bending machine mold, it sends a loading signal to the controller 000 via I / O hardwire. Upon receiving the signal, the controller 000 does not immediately command the pipe bending machine to perform the clamping action. Instead, it first reads the input status of the safety door lock switch 301 and the safety light curtain 302. Suppose that the safety light curtain 302 is triggered at this time due to a foreign object flying in and blocking the light path. Even if the loading signal is already present, the controller 000 will determine that the safety condition is not met and refuse to output the clamping command. The system remains in a waiting state, and the touchscreen 401 can display a message indicating that the safety condition is not met. Only after the safety light curtain 302 signal returns to normal will the controller 000 determine that the condition is met and start the clamping procedure in the next scan cycle.

[0078] To further enhance system reliability, in this embodiment, the safety detection unit 300 and the controller 000 input interface are connected using a normally closed connection. When the system is in a normal safe state, this electrical circuit is closed and conductive, and the controller 000 input terminal detects a stable signal. When the safety state is abnormal (e.g., the emergency stop button 303 is pressed, causing the normally closed contact to open; the safety door is opened, causing the safety door lock switch 301 to open; or the light path of the safety light curtain 302 is blocked, causing the output relay to open), the electrical circuit is cut off, and the signal at the controller 000 input terminal disappears. The normally closed connection improves the system's response speed. For example, suppose a signal line connecting the safety door lock switch 301 breaks internally due to long-term equipment vibration. If a normally open connection (open under normal conditions, conductive when the door is closed) is used, the broken line will cause the controller 000 to never receive the door closing signal, and the system will mistakenly believe the door is not closed properly and will be unable to start. More dangerously, if the break occurs during system operation, the controller 000 may not receive the disconnection transition signal and will be completely unable to detect the fault, at which point the safety function has actually failed. By employing a normally closed connection, whether before or during operation, if a signal line breaks, the controller immediately detects the loss of a signal identical to an abnormal safety condition, equating it to the opening of a safety gate and executing subsequent safety interlocking operations. This ensures that any physical fault in the connection lines will lead to a safe system shutdown rather than a loss of safety functions.

[0079] In this embodiment, the safety interlock operation performed by the controller 000 includes two levels. The first level is the synchronous cut-off action enable signal. During the safety interlock interruption procedure, the controller 000 simultaneously invalidates the enable signals output to the workpiece processing equipment actuators (clamping solenoid valve 104, processing servo driver 105) and the servo enable or emergency stop signal output to the robot controller 201, thereby simultaneously cutting off the power source for the clamping and processing actions of the workpiece processing equipment 100 and all motion axes of the robot 200. The second level is locking the fault state until manual reset. After synchronous shutdown, the controller 000 enters a fault-locked state. Even if the safety signal that triggered the emergency stop is restored (e.g., the operator releases the emergency stop button 303 or closes the safety door again), the controller 000 refuses to respond to any new start command. The system remains stationary, and the touch screen 401 continues to display fault information. Only after the operator arrives on-site to confirm and resolve the fault, and receives an external manual reset signal (e.g., a clear manual reset signal is sent to the controller via the dedicated reset button 404 on the control panel), will the controller 000 unlock and the system re-enter the ready standby state. This mechanism effectively prevents secondary accidents. For example, if a worker presses the emergency stop button 303 because clothing gets caught in the edge of the equipment, causing the equipment to stop, and if the equipment automatically resumes operation after the emergency stop button 303 is released, the sudden start of the equipment while the worker is still in the danger zone handling clothing could cause serious injury. This solution completely eliminates this problem.

[0080] In this embodiment, considering that electromagnetic interference sources such as frequency converters and high-power motor start-stop devices in the industrial environment may induce brief voltage spikes on the line, causing the controller 000 to receive false pulses at the input terminal, the timing control program of the controller 000 in this embodiment is equipped with signal anti-jitter logic. This signal anti-jitter logic specifically includes: performing delayed judgment and / or repeated detection on the received input signal to filter out signal interference. Specifically, for certain critical input signals (especially the position signals of limit switches or sensors), the controller 000 program does not respond immediately when the rising or falling edge of the input arrives, but instead starts an internal timer to perform delayed judgment or repeated detection on the signal. Only after the verification passes does it respond to the signal. Taking the clamping position sensor 101 signal as an example, the program can be set to only recognize the clamping completion state when the signal remains stably valid for more than a preset anti-jitter time (e.g., 200 milliseconds); or only confirm the signal when the signal is read as valid within multiple consecutive controller 000 scan cycles. Without anti-shake logic, a false clamping pulse caused by interference might mislead the controller into believing that the clamping action is complete, thus prematurely initiating the next processing step. At this point, the actual clamping mechanism may not have fully locked the workpiece, leading to the workpiece flying out or mold damage. By adding delay checks or repeated detection, and using software algorithms to filter out transient interference signals, the program only continues processing after a stable and reliable signal is established, significantly improving the system's operational stability in harsh electromagnetic environments.

[0081] In this embodiment, the collaborative control system also supports both manual and automatic operation modes. Users can switch between the two operation modes using corresponding switch buttons, for example, by using the mode selection switch with a key on the operation panel.

[0082] Manual Mode: Upon receiving a manual control command, the controller controls the workpiece processing equipment and the robot to operate at a safe speed. Manual mode is primarily used for equipment debugging, teaching new workpiece types, or resetting the origin after a fault. In this mode, the controller 000 limits the maximum operating speed of the workpiece processing equipment 100 and the robot 200 to a safe speed, below a preset threshold. For example, the robot 200's operating speed is limited to less than 10% of the preset threshold, and the operating speed of the processing actuator is also limited to a very low level. Simultaneously, the controller 000 responds to manual control commands issued by the operator via a handheld teach pendant or jog button, allowing jog control of single movements of the robot 200 and the workpiece processing equipment 100.

[0083] Automatic Mode: When the safety conditions are met based on the safety status signal from the safety detection unit, the controller controls the workpiece processing equipment and the robot to automatically cycle at a preset process speed, and prohibits responses to requests to open safety doors to enter the area. The safe operating speed is lower than the process speed, which can be the aforementioned preset threshold or an adjustable speed greater than the preset threshold. Automatic mode is used for normal continuous production. When switching to automatic mode, the controller 000 first performs safety condition detection based on the output signal of the safety detection unit, typically by confirming that all safety door lock switches 301 are closed and the safety light curtain 302 is not triggered. After the safety condition detection initiates automatic cycling, the controller 000 controls the workpiece processing equipment 100 and the robot 200 to run at a high speed with a preset process speed. In this mode, the controller 000 prohibits responses to any requests to open safety doors, ensuring that personnel cannot physically or logically enter the danger zone during high-speed automatic operation.

[0084] In this embodiment, the controller 000 will execute a complete system self-test during the power-on initialization phase. The self-test includes: checking the status of the safety detection unit 300 to confirm whether the safety door lock switch 301 is closed, whether the emergency stop button 303 has been reset, and whether the safety light curtain 302 is functioning properly; checking the origin status of the workpiece processing equipment 100 to confirm whether the clamping mechanism is in the released position and whether the processing execution mechanism is in the starting position; and checking the origin status of the robot 200 to confirm whether the robot 200 is at the preset safe origin position. If any detection item is abnormal, the controller 000 immediately stops the startup process, prevents the system from entering automatic operation mode, and generates a corresponding fault code to prompt the operator in text or voice form, such as displaying a fault code indicating that the safety door is not closed or the robot is not at its origin.

[0085] In this embodiment, the controller 000 also includes batch production management logic. The operator can input the target processing quantity (e.g., 500 pieces) via the touchscreen 401. This value is received by the controller 000 and stored in its internal data register. The controller 000 sets an internal counter to record completed counts. After each complete processing cycle, the counter value is automatically incremented by one, and the current count is compared with the target processing quantity. When the completed count reaches the target processing quantity, the controller 000, after executing all actions of the last cycle, does not jump back to the cycle start point. Instead, it executes the end program, sending reset commands to the workpiece processing equipment 100 and the robot 200 to return them to their respective origin positions. Then, the system enters standby or stop mode, thereby further improving production efficiency and reducing the need for personnel to enter the production site.

[0086] In this embodiment, see Figure 4Two parallel communication channels can be established between controller 000 and workpiece processing equipment 100, and between controller 000 and robot 200: a hard-wired digital I / O interface and a protocol-based communication interface (such as Modbus RTU protocol based on RS-485, or industrial fieldbuses such as EtherCAT and Profinet). The hard-wired I / O interface is used to transmit critical control and status signals, which have extremely high real-time requirements and are directly related to safety and core operational processes. For example, loading commands, part removal commands, and emergency stop commands issued by controller 000 to robot 200, as well as signals from robot 200 to controller 000 such as loading completion, robot origin, and robot readiness, are all directly connected via physical wires between the I / O module of controller 000 and the I / O interface of robot controller 201. The protocol-based communication interface is used to transmit non-critical data. For example, controller 000 sends the workpiece specification code or working mode switching request to robot 200, while robot 200 reports auxiliary information for status monitoring, such as the current joint position or servo motor temperature, to controller 000. This composite architecture balances real-time performance and information volume. For actions like clamping commands, which must be initiated within tens of milliseconds after the workpiece is in place, hard-wired I / O ensures negligible signal transmission delay and high reliability without relying on complex communication protocol stacks. If all signals were routed through the communication bus, critical signal delays could reach hundreds of milliseconds if the bus is subject to electromagnetic interference or congestion, potentially causing a collision between robot 200 and workpiece processing equipment 100. On the other hand, using the communication interface to transmit large amounts of non-critical data can save significant I / O module and wiring costs.

[0087] This invention also provides a controller-based cooperative control method, which can be applied to the controller in any of the foregoing system embodiments. See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 The control flow of this method is shown, with Chinese labels in the step boxes and each step marked with the figure labels S201 to S207.

[0088] The method specifically includes the following steps.

[0089] Step S201: Obtain and store the preset process parameters;

[0090] First, the system is powered on and initialized: The main power is switched on, the system powers on, and controller 000 performs a self-test, checking the status of the emergency stop button 303, the closed status of the safety door lock switch 301, the origin status of robot 200, and the origin status of workpiece processing equipment 100. If all conditions are normal, the touchscreen 401 displays "System Ready"; otherwise, a fault code is displayed and startup is prohibited.

[0091] The operator inputs process parameters via touch screen 401. These parameters may include workpiece specifications, bending angle, feed length, target processing quantity, etc. The operator selects the automatic operation mode and presses the start button, and the system enters automatic cycle preparation.

[0092] Step S202: Determine the timing control program to be executed based on the process parameters;

[0093] Once the process parameters are determined, the timing control program to be executed is determined based on the process parameters using a target mapping relationship.

[0094] Step S203: Generate and send a loading instruction to the robot based on the timing control program to control the robot to perform the workpiece loading operation;

[0095] At this time, the timing control program is executed. In this process, a loading instruction is first sent to the robot 200. After receiving the loading instruction, the robot 200 moves to the material bin gripping position to identify the workpiece to be gripped. After the clamping actuator clamps the workpiece, it drives the robot 200 to move to the mold positioning point of the workpiece processing equipment 100. After the posture is adjusted to the correct position, a loading position signal is sent to the controller 000.

[0096] Step S204: After receiving the loading signal from the robot, determine whether the safety conditions are met based on the safety status signal from the safety detection unit;

[0097] After receiving the loading signal from the robot, the system reads the safety status signal output by the safety detection unit 300 to determine whether the safety conditions are met.

[0098] Step S205: When the safety conditions are met, a clamping command is generated and sent to the workpiece processing equipment. After receiving the clamping position signal output by the workpiece processing equipment, a processing start command containing process parameters is sent to the workpiece processing equipment to control the workpiece processing equipment to perform processing and forming operations.

[0099] When safety conditions are met, the controller 000 outputs a clamping command to control the clamping solenoid valve 104 of the workpiece processing equipment 100 to actuate and push the mold to clamp the workpiece. After the clamping completion sensor 101 is triggered, it sends a clamping completion signal back to the controller 000. After receiving the clamping completion signal, the controller 000 sends a processing start command, and the processing servo driver 105 of the workpiece processing equipment 100 drives the processing actuator to perform processing actions according to the set parameters in the process parameters. During the processing, the workpiece processing equipment 100 collects position or angle sensor signals in real time and determines whether the processing is in place based on the position or angle signals. When the detected position or angle signal reaches the set value, it indicates that the processing is in place, stops further bending, and performs a mold release and reset action. After completion, it sends a processing completion signal to the controller 000.

[0100] Step S206: After receiving the processing completion signal from the workpiece processing equipment, generate and send a material unloading command to the robot to control the robot to perform the finished product unloading operation.

[0101] After receiving the processing completion signal from the workpiece processing equipment, the controller 000 sends a material unloading command to the robot 200. The gripper of the robot 200 extends into the mold area to grip the processed workpiece. After the workpiece processing equipment 100 releases the mold, the robot 200 transfers the finished workpiece to the unloading table, releases the gripper, and returns to the origin to wait for the next cycle.

[0102] Step S207: Determine whether a safety interlock operation needs to be performed based on the safety status signal output by the safety detection unit.

[0103] If the safety light curtain 302 is blocked, the safety door is opened, the emergency stop button 303 is pressed, or the sensor malfunctions during the operation of the workpiece processing equipment 100 and the robot 200, the controller 000 will immediately interrupt the current process and perform a safety interlock operation to cut off all outputs. At this time, the robot 200 and the workpiece processing equipment 100 will stop synchronously, and the fault will be locked until manual reset.

[0104] See Figure 6 When a target processing quantity is set, after generating and sending the unloading command to the robot, the method further includes:

[0105] Step S208: Increment the counter count by 1;

[0106] Step S209: Determine whether the counting result has reached the target processing quantity. If not, return to step S203 and continue the loop until the counting result reaches the target processing quantity. If it has, control the robot 200 and the workpiece processing equipment 100 to reset and the system to stop.

[0107] To further illustrate the temporal relationship between the various actions, Figure 7 A timing diagram of the collaborative actions between the robot and the workpiece processing equipment is provided. Figure 7 The diagram directly illustrates the specific control logic of the timing control program. The vertical axis represents the signal names, including robot ready signal A, loading command B, robot loading in place signal C, clamping command D, clamping in place signal E, processing start command F, processing running status signal G, processing completed signal H, unloading command I, and unloading completed signal J. The horizontal axis represents the time axis, labeled with time nodes T0, T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5.

[0108] The time sequence descriptions for each period are as follows:

[0109] During the T0-T1 period (system standby): Robot 200 is in standby mode at the origin, workpiece processing equipment 100 is at the origin, the clamping mechanism is released, and all outputs are at low level. At this time, the robot ready signal A is at high level.

[0110] During the T1-T2 period (robot loading): At time T1, controller 000 sets the loading command B to a high level, and robot 200 performs gripping, transferring, and positioning actions. At time T2, robot 200 sets the loading position signal C to a high level.

[0111] During the T2-T3 period (processing equipment clamping): After the controller 000 detects that the loading position signal C is high, it sets the clamping command D to high level after time T2, and the clamping mechanism starts to operate. At time T3, the clamping position sensor 101 is triggered, and the clamping position signal E is set to high level.

[0112] During the T3-T4 processing period: After the controller 000 detects that the clamping position signal E is high, it sets the processing start command F to high, and the processing operation status signal G subsequently becomes high, and the processing actuator begins to rotate. At time T4, the processing is completed and the mold is removed, the processing operation status signal G becomes low, and simultaneously, the processing completion signal H generates a high-level pulse.

[0113] During the T4-T5 period (robot picking up and unloading): After receiving the processing completion signal H, the controller 000 sets the unloading command I to a high level, and the robot 200 enters the picking position and transfers the part to the unloading table. At time T5, the robot 200 returns to the origin, sets the unloading completion signal J to a high-level pulse, and at the same time, the robot ready signal A remains high, waiting for the next cycle.

[0114] Full-process safety timing constraints: At any time, if safety signals such as safety door lock switch 301, safety light curtain 302, or emergency stop button 303 go low (abnormal state), controller 000 immediately sets all action commands (B, D, F, I) to low, and the processing operation status signal G is also immediately set low, causing robot 200 and workpiece processing equipment 100 to stop synchronously. Furthermore, the actions of the robot and workpiece processing equipment are strictly interlocked. For example, while the processing operation status signal G is high (i.e., processing is not complete and mold removal is not yet finished), controller 000 is prohibited from sending unloading command I to robot 200.

[0115] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications based on the spirit and principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0116] It should also be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0117] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A cooperative control system, characterized in that, include: A workpiece processing equipment is used to perform processing and forming operations on a workpiece to be processed. The control input terminals of all the action actuators of the workpiece processing equipment are electrically connected to the output terminals of the controller, so that the controller can directly control the start and stop of the clamping, processing, and demolding actions of the workpiece processing equipment. The action actuators include a clamping solenoid valve and a processing servo driver. The robot is used to perform gripping, transferring and positioning operations on the workpiece to be processed before and after the workpiece processing equipment performs the processing and forming operation; At least one safety detection unit is provided for detecting the safety status within a preset hazardous area and generating a safety status signal. The safety detection unit includes at least one of a safety door lock switch, a safety light curtain, and an emergency stop button. The safety detection unit is connected to the input interface of the controller using a normally closed connection, so that the controller triggers a safety interlock operation when a line disconnection or abnormal safety status is detected. The controller is connected to the workpiece processing equipment, the robot, and the safety detection unit, respectively. The controller is configured as follows: Acquire and store preset process parameters; Based on the process parameters, a timing control program is determined to be executed. The timing control program defines the execution order and interlocking conditions between the robot's operation actions and the workpiece processing equipment's processing and forming actions. According to the timing control program, control commands are sent to the robot and the workpiece processing equipment respectively to coordinate the control of the two to complete the automated workpiece processing cycle. The control commands sent to the workpiece processing equipment include the process parameters. The system receives the safety status signal sent by the safety detection unit and, based on the safety status signal, uniformly controls the workpiece processing equipment and the robot to perform safety interlock operations. The control commands include action enable signals for the actuators of the workpiece processing equipment and the drive system of the robot. The unified control of the workpiece processing equipment and the robot to perform safety interlock operations includes: The action enable signals output to the actuator of the workpiece processing equipment and the drive system of the robot are simultaneously cut off, so that the workpiece processing equipment and the robot can stop in an emergency in sync. And lock the fault status until an external manual reset signal is received; The connection between the controller and the robot includes a hard-wired interface based on digital input / output and a communication interface based on a communication protocol. Preset key control signals and status signals are transmitted through the hard-wired interface, while non-key data is transmitted through the communication interface based on the communication protocol. The key control signals and status signals include: loading instructions, part-removal instructions, and emergency stop instructions issued by the controller to the robot, as well as loading completion signals, robot origin signals, and robot ready signals fed back by the robot to the controller. The non-key data includes: the workpiece specification code or working mode switching request sent by the controller to the robot, and the current position or servo motor temperature reported by the robot to the controller. The controller is also configured to perform at least one of the following operating modes: Manual mode: When a manual control command is received, the workpiece processing equipment and the robot are controlled to run at a safe speed; Automatic mode: When the safety conditions are met based on the safety status signal of the safety detection unit, the workpiece processing equipment and the robot are controlled to run automatically in a cycle at the process speed, and requests to open the safety door to enter the area are prohibited. The process speed is greater than the safety speed.

2. The collaborative control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The workpiece processing equipment is any one of a pipe bending machine, a plate bending machine, or a profile bending machine.

3. The collaborative control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, According to the timing control program, sending control commands to the robot and the workpiece processing equipment respectively includes: Send a loading command to the robot; Obtain the security status signal sent by the security detection unit; Determine whether the safety conditions are met based on the safety status signal; After receiving the loading signal from the robot and determining that the safety conditions are met, the robot outputs a clamping command to the workpiece processing equipment. Once the clamping signal is received from the workpiece processing equipment, a processing start command containing process parameters is sent to the workpiece processing equipment. Once the processing completion signal is received from the workpiece processing equipment, a material unloading command is sent to the robot.

4. The collaborative control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The timing control program of the controller is equipped with signal anti-jitter logic, which specifically includes: performing delay judgment and / or repeated detection on the received input signal to filter out signal interference.

5. The collaborative control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller is also used for: Receive and store the target processing quantity; After each workpiece processing cycle is completed, the completed count is automatically updated and compared with the target processing quantity; When the count reaches the target processing quantity, the workpiece processing equipment and the robot are reset and stopped working.

6. A cooperative control method, applied in the controller of the cooperative control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Acquire and store process parameters; The timing control program to be executed is determined based on the process parameters; The timing control program generates and sends a loading instruction to the robot to control the robot to perform a workpiece loading operation. After receiving the material loading signal from the robot, the safety conditions are determined based on the safety status signal from the safety detection unit. When the safety conditions are met, a clamping command is generated and sent to the workpiece processing equipment. After receiving the clamping position signal output by the workpiece processing equipment, a processing start command containing process parameters is sent to the workpiece processing equipment to control the workpiece processing equipment to perform processing and forming operations. After receiving the processing completion signal from the workpiece processing equipment, a material unloading command is generated and sent to the robot to control the robot to perform the finished product unloading operation; The control input terminals of all the action actuators of the workpiece processing equipment are electrically connected to the output terminals of the controller, so that the controller can directly control the start and stop of the clamping, processing, and demolding actions of the workpiece processing equipment. The action actuators include clamping solenoid valves and processing servo drives.

Images