Robotic monitoring device
By acquiring robot status information and determining the operator's work status, a robot monitoring device solves the problem of difficulty in quickly identifying when an operator can resume work, ensuring the timeliness of work resumption.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- FANUC LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-02-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-31
AI Technical Summary
In robot monitoring devices that centrally manage multiple robots, it is difficult to quickly determine whether the operator is performing robot recovery work, resulting in delays in the recovery work.
The robot's status information is acquired by the status information acquisition unit, the work determination unit determines whether the operator is performing a work, and the work display unit displays the status of the work on the display device to help managers understand the operator's status.
This enables managers to quickly identify whether operators are performing robot recovery work, thus avoiding delays in the recovery process.
Smart Images
Figure CN122497925A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to a robot monitoring device. Background Technology
[0002] The proposed technique involves displaying multiple images representing various functional units used to control different objects installed on the robot on the same screen in a robot control system. By displaying the malfunctioning functional unit differently from the non-malfunctioning functional unit, the operator can easily identify the malfunctioning functional unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Typically, upon recognizing the malfunction, the operator will stop the robot and perform a recovery operation to eliminate the malfunction. Existing technical documents Patent documents
[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-120165 Summary of the Invention The problem the invention aims to solve
[0004] In robot monitoring devices that centrally manage multiple robots, the system typically displays whether it is running. In such devices, it's sufficient to monitor overall operational efficiency reductions; displaying the status of numerous functional units of each robot would make it difficult to grasp the full picture. Therefore, conventional robot monitoring devices typically only display this information when a robot malfunctions and stops.
[0005] The operator responsible for a robot that has malfunctioned needs to perform recovery work to resolve the malfunction. However, there may be situations where the operator is engaged in other tasks and cannot quickly begin recovery work. When the responsible operator is unable to begin recovery work, the management personnel in the central control room expect to make adjustments, such as involving other operators. However, the management personnel cannot ascertain whether the responsible operator is ready to begin recovery work. If the management personnel inquire with the responsible operator whether they are ready to begin troubleshooting, the operator will have to interrupt their troubleshooting work to answer the management personnel, thus delaying recovery. Therefore, a system is desired that allows management personnel to easily ascertain whether the operator is performing recovery work when any robot malfunctions. Solution for solving the problem
[0006] One aspect of the robot monitoring device disclosed herein is a robot monitoring device that displays the operating status of one or more robots on a display device. It comprises: a status information acquisition unit that acquires status information indicating the status of the robot; a work determination unit that determines, based on the status information, whether an operator is performing work on the robot; and a work display unit that, if the work determination unit determines that work is in progress, causes the display device to display a message indicating that work is in progress. Attached Figure Description
[0007] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a robot system equipped with a robot monitoring device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 This is an example Figure 1 The image shows the display screen of the robot's monitoring device. Figure 3 It means Figure 1 The flowchart shows the control process performed by the robot monitoring device. Figure 4 It means Figure 1 The robot monitoring device conducted with Figure 3 Flowcharts of different control processes. Detailed Implementation
[0008] The following side refers to the appendix. Figure 1 The following describes the implementation of this disclosure. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a robot system equipped with a robot monitoring device 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The robot system includes multiple robots R1 to R9, the robot monitoring device 1, and a display device D.
[0009] The robot monitoring device 1 causes the display device D to display the operating status of one or more robots R1 to R9. The robot monitoring device 1 can be used, for example, in a factory with multiple production lines equipped with any of the robots R1 to R9, to remotely monitor the status of each production line simultaneously. Furthermore, the robot monitoring device 1 can also confirm the operating status of multiple robots R1 to R9 installed on a single production line.
[0010] The robot monitoring device 1 can be implemented by one or more computer devices having, for example, a memory, a processor, a communication interface, etc., and executing appropriate control programs. The robot monitoring device 1 can be configured to communicate with robots R1 to R9 via a network or the like. Alternatively, the robot monitoring device 1 may not communicate directly with robots R1 to R9, but obtain information from an intermediate device that collects information from robots R1 to R9 and provides it to the robot monitoring device 1.
[0011] The robot monitoring device 1 includes a status information acquisition unit 11, a work determination unit 12, and a work display unit 13. Furthermore, these components may be components categorized by the functions of the robot monitoring device 1, rather than components that can be clearly distinguished in terms of physical and program structure. Additionally, the components of the robot monitoring device 1 described in this embodiment are only characteristic components of this disclosure; besides these, it may also include components that implement other functions that are known to monitoring devices.
[0012] The status information acquisition unit 11 acquires one or more types of status information representing the status of robots R1 to R9. This includes signals, variables, setpoints, etc., used for controlling robots R1 to R9. Preferably, the status information includes the operating mode of robots R1 to R9. The operating mode of robots R1 to R9 can be switched to modes other than automatic operation modes, such as manual operation mode, teaching mode, etc., where robots R1 to R9 operate through operator control. Therefore, based on the operating mode of robots R1 to R9, it becomes a more accurate indicator of whether the operator is performing operations such as setting up the actions of robots R1 to R9 or eliminating certain abnormalities.
[0013] Furthermore, the status information acquired by the status information acquisition unit 11 preferably includes values of contact outputs used to confirm the safety of robots R1 to R9. Examples of contact outputs used to confirm the safety of robots R1 to R9 include, for example, the output of an emergency stop button, a limit switch for confirming the closure of a safety fence surrounding robots R1 to R9, and area sensors that detect intrusion of people or objects into the operating area of robots R1 to R9. These are not limited to physical contact outputs and can also be binary signals output by semiconductor elements. Regarding such contact outputs used to confirm safety, a value indicating that safety is not guaranteed is typically "on" when an operator intrudes into the operating area of robots R1 to R9 and performs work on them.
[0014] Furthermore, the status information acquired by the status information acquisition unit 11 may also include the status of the teaching pendant (not shown) used for teaching actions to the robot. Examples of the status of the teaching pendant include settings such as whether the operation of the teaching pendant has been valid, the output of the dead man's switch of the teaching pendant, and the determination result of whether communication between the main control unit of the robot R1 to R9 and the teaching pendant has been established.
[0015] The job determination unit 12 determines whether the operator is performing a job on each of the robots R1 to R9 based on the status information acquired by the status information acquisition unit 11. The job determination unit 12 can be configured such that if any one of the multiple status information acquired by the status information acquisition unit 11 indicates that the operator is performing a job on the robots R1 to R9, then the operator is determined to be performing a job. Alternatively, the job determination unit 12 can be configured such that if the values of two or more specific status information constitute a predetermined combination, then the operator is determined to be performing a job. Furthermore, the job performed on the robots R1 to R9 is defined as including operations on peripheral equipment that may affect the movement of the robots R1 to R9.
[0016] When the work determination unit 12 determines that the operator is performing work on robots R1 to R9, the work display unit 13 causes the display device D to display that work is in progress. The work progress display made by the work display unit 13 is as follows: Figure 2 As illustrated, the portion of the screen displaying robots R1 to R9 on the robot monitoring device 1 can be supplemented with graphics indicating that the robot is currently operating. Figure 2 In the example, the overall structure of the equipment monitored by the robot monitoring device 1 is displayed in a tree structure, and a graphic indicating that the robot R2, which is determined to be working, is added to the tree of robots R1 to R9. Furthermore, the "working" display performed by the work display unit 13 can be achieved by changing the color of the characters or background representing robots R1 to R9, adding characters indicating that they are working, or a combination of these. Additionally, the "working" display performed by the work display unit 13 can also be a pop-up display that independently identifies the robots that are generally working, separate from the general screen.
[0017] exist Figure 3 The diagram shows the control flow of the robot monitoring device 1 related to the display in operation. Figure 3 Imagine that robots R1 to R9 are non-cooperative robots. The control includes: a status information acquisition step (step S01) to acquire the status information of robots R1 to R9; a step to confirm whether robots R1 to R9 are in maintenance mode (step S02); a step to confirm the output of the emergency stop button on robots R1 to R9 (step S03); a step to confirm whether robots R1 to R9 are in teaching mode (step S04); a step to confirm whether the teaching operation panel of robots R1 to R9 has become a valid operation (step S05); a step to change to a normal display (step S06); and a step to change the display to non-operational mode (step S07).
[0018] In this control system, robots R1-R9 will display the message "Working" if any of the following conditions are met: they are in maintenance mode, the emergency stop button has been pressed, they are in teaching mode, or the teaching control panel is active. The message "Working" will not be displayed if any of these conditions are not met (the display will be canceled if it is already displayed).
[0019] In addition, Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the control flow for a scenario where robots R1-R9 are cooperative robots. This control includes: a status information acquisition step (step S11) to acquire status information of robots R1-R9; a step to confirm whether robots R1-R9 are in maintenance mode (step S12); a step to confirm the output of the emergency stop button on robots R1-R9 (step S13); a step to confirm the output of the area sensor detecting intrusion into the action area of robots R1-R9 (step S14); a step to confirm whether robots R1-R9 are in teaching mode (step S15); a step to confirm whether the alarm switch on the teaching control panel of robots R1-R9 has detected the operator (step S16); a step to change to a normal display (step S17); and a step to change the display to "operating" (step S18).
[0020] In this control system, robots R1-R9 will display a message indicating that they are currently in operation if any of the following conditions are met: robots R1-R9 are in maintenance mode, the emergency stop button has been pressed, the area sensor detects an intrusion, robots R1-R9 are in teaching mode, or the alarm switch on the teaching control panel detects an operator. Only if any of these conditions are not met will the message indicating that they are currently in operation not be displayed for robots R1-R9.
[0021] As described above, the robot monitoring device 1 of this embodiment determines whether an operator is performing work on robots R1 to R9 based on the status information of robots R1 to R9, and displays whether each robot R1 to R9 is being operated by an operator. Therefore, managers can easily determine whether it is necessary to dispatch operators to robots R1 to R9.
[0022] The following notes further disclose the above-described embodiments and variations. (Postscript 1) The robot monitoring device (1) is a robot monitoring device (1) that enables a display device (D) to display the operating status of one or more robots (R1 to R9). It includes: a status information acquisition unit (11) that acquires status information indicating the status of the robots (R1 to R9); a work determination unit (12) that determines whether an operator is performing work on the robots (R1 to R9) based on the status information; and a work display unit (13) that, when the work determination unit (12) determines that work is in progress, causes the display device (D) to display that work is in progress.
[0023] (Postscript 2) In the robot monitoring device (1) of (Appendix 1), the status information may include the operating mode of the robot (R1~R9).
[0024] (Note 3) In the robot monitoring device (1) (Note 1 or 2), the status information may also include the values of the contact outputs used to confirm the safety of the robot (R1~R9).
[0025] (Note 5) In the robot monitoring device (1) (Appendix 1 to 3), the status information may include the status of the teaching operation panel used for teaching actions to the robot (R1 to R9).
[0026] The present disclosure has been described in detail above, but it is not limited to the various embodiments described above. These embodiments may include various additions, substitutions, modifications, partial deletions, etc., without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure or from the main points derived from the claims and their equivalents. For example, in the embodiments described above, the order of actions or the order of processes are shown as an example and are not limited to these orders. Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures
[0027] 1: Robot monitoring device 11: Status Information Acquisition Department 12: Work Judgment Department 13: Work Display Department D: Display device R1~R9: Robots
Claims
1. A robot monitoring device, which enables a display device to show the operating status of one or more robots, comprising: A status information acquisition unit acquires status information representing the state of the robot. The task determination unit determines whether the operator is performing a task on the robot based on the status information. as well as The work display unit, when the work determination unit determines that a work is in progress, causes the display device to display that a work is in progress.
2. The robot monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein, The status information includes the robot's operating mode.
3. The robot monitoring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The status information includes the values output by the touch points used to confirm the safety of the robot.
4. The robot monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The status information includes the status of the teaching control panel used for teaching actions to the robot.