teaching device

Abstract

A teaching device (10) for performing program creation using symbols representing functions that form a control program for an industrial machine comprises: a program creation unit (110) for creating a program creation screen on which the symbols are arranged and which is used to perform the program creation; and a locking control unit (116) for locking the symbols arranged on the program creation screen based on an operation performed with respect to the symbols.

Description

Teaching Device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a teaching device.

[0002] In order to intuitively teach a robot control program, a method of configuring the control program using icons representing the functions that configure the robot control program is known. For example, Patent Document 1 states (paragraph 0102) that "Fig. 27 shows an operation program including auxiliary icons that disable operations indicated by operation icons. Operation program 171 includes operation icons 171a to 171c. Operation program 171 includes auxiliary icon 171p as an auxiliary symbol that disables operation commands indicated by operation symbols. The operation of operation icon 171b specified by auxiliary icon 171p can be disabled."

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-091025

[0004] Temporarily disabling icons to check operation during the program teaching stage is useful for users creating programs. However, as the number of icons to be disabled increases, the operation can become cumbersome for users. There is a need for a teaching device that can provide icon disabling with an easier-to-use operation for users.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a teaching device for creating programs using icons representing functions that constitute a control program for industrial machinery, the teaching device including: a program creation unit that generates a program creation screen for arranging icons to create a program; and a disabling control unit that disables an icon arranged on the program creation screen based on an operation on the icon.

[0006] The user can disable the icon that he / she intends to disable with an easier operation, and can create a program more efficiently.

[0007] These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the device configuration of a robot system including a teaching device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a robot control device and a teaching device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional block diagram of a teaching device, a robot control device, and a visual sensor control device. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a program creation screen. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a first example of icon disabling. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pop-up menu displayed when disabling an icon, and is a diagram illustrating a second example of icon enabling and disabling. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an icon is enabled upon completion of settings for a disabled icon. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of hiding a disabled icon in a program creation area (third example). FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a display example in which a disabled icon is minimized. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of disabling an icon by an operation to specify a range (fourth example). FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of disabling an icon for a vision program (fifth example). FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another display mode of a program creation screen for a vision program.

[0009] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, like components or functional parts are designated by like reference numerals. The scales of these drawings have been changed appropriately to facilitate understanding. Furthermore, the embodiment shown in the drawings is one example for implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the equipment configuration of a robot system 100 including a teaching device 10 according to one embodiment. In the example of the equipment configuration shown in FIG. 1 , the robot system 100 includes a robot 30 equipped with a hand (gripping device) 33 at the end of its arm, a robot control device 50 for controlling the robot 30, the teaching device 10, a visual sensor 70 attached to the end of the arm of the robot 30, and a visual sensor control device 20 for controlling the visual sensor 70. The teaching device 10 is connected to the robot control device 50. In the above configuration, the robot system 100 detects an object (hereinafter referred to as a workpiece) 1 on a workbench 2 using the visual sensor 70 and can handle the workpiece using a hand 33 mounted on the robot 30. Note that the visual sensor 70 may be a fixed camera whose position is fixed within the workspace.

[0011] Here, the robot 30 as an industrial machine is assumed to be a vertical articulated robot, but other types of robots may also be used. The robot 30 can perform a desired task using an end effector attached to a wrist at the end of its arm. The end effector is an external device that can be replaced depending on the application, and is, for example, a hand, a welding gun, a tool, etc. FIG. 1 shows an example in which a hand 33 is used as an example of an end effector.

[0012] The robot controller 50 controls the operation of the robot 30 in accordance with a control program loaded into the robot controller 50 or commands input from the teaching device 10 .

[0013] The teaching device 10 provides various functions for teaching (i.e., programming) operations to the robot 30. The teaching device provides a programming function using icons representing functions constituting the robot's control program (such as movement to a specified position and input / output of IO) in order to intuitively teach the robot's control program.

[0014] The visual sensor control device 20 has a function to control the visual sensor 70 and a function to perform image processing on the image captured by the visual sensor 70. The visual sensor control device 20 detects the position of the workpiece 1 from the image captured by the visual sensor 70 and provides the detection result to the robot control device 50. This enables the robot control device 50 to handle the workpiece 1 that has not been positioned. The detection result may include the detected position of the workpiece 1 and an evaluation value related to the detection (detection score, image contrast, etc.).

[0015] The visual sensor 70 may be a camera that captures grayscale or color images, or a stereo camera or 3D sensor that can acquire distance images or 3D point clouds. The visual sensor control device 20 stores a model pattern of the workpiece and can perform image processing to detect the workpiece by pattern matching the image of the workpiece in the captured image with the model pattern. In this embodiment, the visual sensor 70 is assumed to be calibrated, and the visual sensor control device 20 stores calibration data that defines the relative positional relationship between the visual sensor 70 and the robot 30. This allows positions on the image captured by the visual sensor 70 to be converted to positions on a coordinate system (such as a robot coordinate system) fixed to the workspace.

[0016] In FIG. 1, the visual sensor control device 20 is configured as a device separate from the robot control device 50, but the function of the visual sensor control device 20 may be incorporated into the robot control device 50.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the robot control device 50 and the teaching device 10. The robot control device 50 may have a configuration similar to that of a general computer, in which a processor 51 is connected to a memory 52 (e.g., ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory), an input / output interface 53, an operation unit 54 including various operation switches, and the like via a bus. The teaching device 10 is used as a device for inputting operations and displaying screens to teach the robot 30 (i.e., to create a control program). The teaching device 10 may have a configuration similar to that of a general computer, in which a processor 11 is connected to a memory 12 (e.g., ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory), a display unit 13, an operation unit 14 including input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel (software keys), an input / output interface 15, and the like via a bus. Note that the teaching device 10 may also be an information processing device such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone.

[0018] The visual sensor control device 20 may also have a configuration as a general computer, in which a processor is connected to memory (ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory, etc.), an input / output interface, a display unit, an operation unit, etc. via a bus.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the teaching device 10, the robot control device 50, and the visual sensor control device 20.

[0020] The visual sensor control device 20 has a storage unit 121 and an image processing unit 122. The storage unit 121 stores various data (model patterns, etc.) required for image processing, detection results, calibration data, etc. The image processing unit 122 has the function of executing pattern matching and other various types of image processing.

[0021] The robot control device 50 has a storage unit 151 and an operation control unit 152. The storage unit 151 stores various programs such as a control program, and various other information used for controlling the robot. The control program is provided, for example, from the teaching device 10. The operation control unit 152 controls the operation of the robot 30 and the like in accordance with commands or the control program from the teaching device 10. Note that the control by the operation control unit 152 includes control of the hand 33 and control of the visual sensor control device 20.

[0022] 3, the teaching device 10 includes a program creation unit 110 that provides various functions for creating a control program, an icon data storage unit 115, and an invalidation control unit 116. The program creation unit 110 provides various functions for programming using icons that represent functions that constitute the robot's control program. The program creation unit 110 includes a screen generation unit 111, an icon operation unit 112, an icon setting unit 113, and a program execution unit 114.

[0023] The screen generation unit 111 has a function of generating various operation screens (user interface screens) for creating programs and displaying them on the display screen of the display unit 13 .

[0024] The icon operation unit 112 accepts various user operations on icons displayed on the display screen.

[0025] The icon setting unit 113 provides a function for setting the function of an icon, and receives a user operation for setting the function of an icon via, for example, a user interface screen.

[0026] The configuration of the program creation screen provided by the program creation unit 110 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0027] 4 shows an example of a program creation screen 400 created by the screen generation unit 111 and displayed on the display unit 13 of the teaching device 10. As shown in Fig. 4, the program creation screen 400 includes an icon display area 200 that displays a list of various icons that can be used for programming, and a program creation area 300 for creating a control program by arranging the icons in order. In the example of Fig. 4, the icon display area 200 includes a hand close icon 201 that represents a command to close the hand, a hand open icon 202 that represents a command to open the hand, a linear movement icon 203, an arc movement icon 204, a via point addition icon 205, and a rotation icon 206 that rotates the hand.

[0028] The user can select an icon by, for example, placing a cursor on the icon. The user performs programming by selecting a desired icon from the icon display area 200 and arranging it in the program creation area 300, for example, by a drag-and-drop operation. In the example of FIG. 4 , the program creation area 300 is arranged with a closed hand icon 201, an arc movement icon 204, two linear movement icons 203, and an open hand icon 202, in this order. When there are a large number of icons to be arranged in the program creation area 300, the user can arrange the icons by scrolling the screen in a predetermined direction (horizontally or vertically, for example). Such user operations can be performed with the support of the icon operation unit 112.

[0029] On the program creation screen 400, the user selects the programming tab 261 when programming. On the other hand, by selecting an icon in the program creation area 300 and then selecting the details tab 262, the user can open a details setting screen for performing detailed settings (parameter settings) for the icon. Such detailed settings for the icon's functions can be performed with the support of the icon setting unit. With an icon placed in the program creation area 300, the user can execute a control program by performing a predetermined operation.

[0030] The program execution unit 114 is responsible for executing the programs arranged in the program creation area 300. The program execution unit 114 generates commands for the robot by interpreting the programs of the icons arranged in the program creation area 300, and sends the commands to the robot control device 50 to execute the programs.

[0031] The icon data storage unit 115 stores various data relating to icons, including detailed setting information for each icon.

[0032] The invalidation control unit 116 cooperates with the program creation unit 110 to provide a function for invalidating and validating icons arranged in the program creation area 300 .

[0033] A specific example of the process of disabling and enabling an icon by the disabling control unit 116 will be described below.

[0034] 5 is a diagram illustrating a first example of icon disabling and enabling by the disabling control unit 116. As shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that icons are arranged in the program creation area 300 and a program 501 is created. The program 501 includes three icons 211, 212, and 213. Here, it is assumed that the user intends to disable the icon 213 and performs an operation to disable the icon 213.

[0035] The disablement control unit 116 disables the icon 213 in accordance with a predetermined operation on the icon 213. The disablement control unit 116 may be configured to accept, for example, the following operations as predetermined operations for disabling the icon 213: (Operation 1) An operation of double-touching the icon (touching twice in succession quickly) (Operation 2) An operation of pressing and holding the icon (Operation 3) An operation of moving the icon slightly left and right (vibrating) while holding (dragging) the icon. The above predetermined operations for disabling an icon may also be used as operations for enabling a disabled icon.

[0036] Assuming that an icon may be disabled due to an unintended operation (misoperation) by the user, when any of the above operations (operation 1) to (operation 3) is performed, a message image such as a pop-up may be displayed in the program creation area 300 to notify the user that the icon will be disabled. In addition, in order to prevent such a pop-up from being displayed every time an operation to disable an icon is performed, the disablement control unit 116 may be configured to accept a setting for preventing such a pop-up from being displayed after a predetermined operation is performed.

[0037] The invalidation control unit 116 may be configured to present a menu screen prompting the user to instruct whether to invalidate an icon in response to an icon selection operation or an operation for invalidating an icon, such as the above-described (Operation 1) to (Operation 3), and to invalidate the icon in response to the user's instruction to invalidate the icon via the menu screen. FIG. 6 shows an example of such a menu screen. Assume that the user selects the icon 213 (e.g., touches the icon). In this case, the invalidation control unit 116 displays a menu screen 311 to prompt the user to input an instruction. The menu screen 311 includes instructions for deleting, invalidating, copying, and cutting the icon. If the user wishes to invalidate the icon 213, the user selects “Invalidate” from the menu screen 311. In response to the selection of “Invalidate,” the invalidation control unit 116 invalidates the icon 213. This configuration prevents an icon from being inadvertently disabled due to an unintended user operation.

[0038] When the icon 213 is disabled, the disablement control unit 116 displays the disabled icon 213 so that it can be visually recognized. Figures 5 and 6 show that the icon 213 has been disabled, and as a result, the display state of the icon 213 is displayed with diagonal lines added (see the dashed circle in Figures 5 and 6).

[0039] In addition, in order to display disabled icons so that they can be distinguished from normal icons, there are various other ways, such as adding a diagonal line as described above, or reducing the color contrast of the disabled icons.

[0040] The disabling control unit 116 may perform control so that only disabled icons can be deleted in the program creation area 300. This prevents icons from being deleted by mistake, improving operability.

[0041] A second embodiment of the invention, relating to the disabling and enabling of icons, will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 . The second embodiment relates to a configuration for automatically disabling an icon whose settings are incomplete. As shown on the left side of FIG. 7 , icons 211, 212, and 213 are arranged in the program creation area 300. Here, it is assumed that detailed settings for the icon 213 have not yet been made. It is assumed that the user has performed a predetermined operation to instruct the execution of the program 501. If the settings for the icon 213 are incomplete, the disabling control unit 116 disables the icon 213, preventing it from being executed. The disabling control unit 116 can recognize that the settings for the icon 213 are incomplete, for example, by checking the icon data storage unit 115 for the setting information for the icon 213.

[0042] 7 shows that icon 213 is displayed with a diagonal line added to indicate that it is disabled (see the dashed circle in FIG. 7). In other words, in this case, the icons executed by program execution unit 114 are icons 211 and 212. This makes it possible to avoid a situation where an icon with incomplete settings is executed, resulting in a program error stop, a warning, or the like being displayed.

[0043] 8 illustrates a state in which the icon 213 is enabled by completing the settings for the disabled icon 213. As shown on the left side of FIG. 8 , the icon 213 is disabled because the settings for the icon 213 in the program 501 are incomplete. Here, the user activates a detailed settings screen for the icon 213 and completes the detailed settings for the icon 213. In this case, the disabling control unit 116 enables the icon 213 in response to the completion of the settings for the icon 213. The disabling control unit 116 can, for example, cooperate with the program creation unit 110 (icon setting unit 113) to determine that the detailed settings for the icon 213 have been completed, and can determine that the settings for the icon 213 have been completed by referring to the icon data storage unit 115.

[0044] The right side of Fig. 8 shows the state in which the icon 213 has been enabled by the above operation and the diagonal line added to the icon 213 has been removed (see the dashed circle in Fig. 8), allowing the user to visually and immediately recognize that the icon 213 has been enabled.

[0045] Here, an example has been described in which an icon whose settings have not been completed is invalidated when a program is executed, but the timing for invalidating an icon whose settings have not been completed is not limited to this example. For example, an icon whose settings have not been completed may be invalidated when the icon is placed in the program creation area 300.

[0046] The invalidation control unit 116 may determine whether the setting of an icon is incomplete based on whether the setting of basic items among the setting items of the icon is complete. Note that if an icon includes setting values ​​of such basic items as default values, the invalidation control unit 116 can determine that the setting of such an icon is complete.

[0047] FIG. 9 relates to an embodiment (third embodiment) of hiding disabled icons in the program creation area 300. The disabling control unit 116 can provide a function of hiding disabled icons in the program creation area 300 in response to a predetermined user operation. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 , an eye mark 312, which is an operation button for hiding an icon, is arranged on the program creation screen 400. As shown on the left side of FIG. 9 , it is assumed that icon 213 is disabled among the icons in the program creation area 300. The user can hide the disabled icon 213, for example, by operating cursor 315 to select eye mark 312.

[0048] The right side of Fig. 9 shows a state in which the icon 213 is hidden in the program creation area 300. When a disabled icon is hidden as shown on the right side of Fig. 9, processing such as slashing the eye mark 312 may be performed to make it visible.

[0049] The function of hiding disabled icons has the advantage of making it easier to view the contents of the program in the program creation area 300. This function is particularly useful when there are many disabled icons in the program creation area 300.

[0050] Note that if a disabled icon is completely hidden, the user may forget the existence of the icon. To prevent the user from forgetting the existence of a disabled icon, the disabled icon may be minimized rather than completely hidden. Figure 10 shows a state in which the user selects the eye mark 312 to minimize the disabled icon 213 and display it as a minimized icon 213a. Thus, the function of minimizing a disabled icon not only makes the program content easier to view, but also has the advantage of preventing the user from forgetting the existence of the disabled icon.

[0051] Note that although an example of minimizing one invalidation icon has been shown here, if there are multiple invalidation icons lined up in a row within a program, the multiple consecutive invalidation icons may be displayed together as a single minimized icon.

[0052] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example (fourth embodiment) of icon invalidation by a user's operation to specify the range of icons to be invalidated. As shown in FIG. 11 , the invalidation control unit 116 accepts an operation to specify the range of icons to be invalidated in the program creation area 300. Here, as shown on the left side of FIG. 11 , it is assumed that a user operation to specify a rectangular selection range 321 is performed. Note that this operation to specify a selection range may be, for example, a drag operation by touching the screen or a mouse operation. The invalidation control unit 116 invalidates the icons within the selection range 321. In this example, icons 211-213 are included within the selection range 321. The right side of FIG. 11 shows a state in which icons 211-213, which were included in the selection range 321, have been invalidated. Note that the operation to specify a range may also be used to enable disabled icons.

[0053] 12 and 13 are diagrams showing an embodiment (fifth embodiment) of disabling icons in a program that provides a function for detecting and inspecting a workpiece using the visual sensor 70. Note that, hereinafter, a program that captures images using the visual sensor and processes the captured images is referred to as a vision program. As shown in FIG. 12, the vision program 503 includes a snap icon 230, a "window shift" icon 235, a "pattern match 1" icon 236, a "pattern match 2" icon 237, and a "correction data calculation" icon 240.

[0054] Fig. 13 shows an example of a program creation screen 400A that displays the vision program 503 shown in Fig. 12, and has a different display format from the program creation screen 400 shown in Fig. 12. The program creation screen 400A shown in Fig. 13 has a program creation area 300A that has a display format in which icons are displayed vertically. Note that this example shows an example in which vision programs 503 are displayed vertically in the program creation area 300A.

[0055] 12 and 13 illustrate the "Window Shift" icon 235 and the "Pattern Match 1" icon 236 in the program as disabled.

[0056] The "Window Shift" icon 235 and the "Pattern Match 1" icon 236 are functionally parent-child icons. Specifically, the "Window Shift" icon 235 provides a function for shifting the detection area within a captured image, and the "Pattern Match 1" icon 236 provides a function for detecting an object by pattern matching within a set detection area. The disabling control unit 116 may be configured to automatically disable a small icon when a parent icon of the parent-child icons is disabled. In this example, when the user disables the "Window Shift" icon 235, the "Pattern Match 1" icon 236 is also automatically disabled.

[0057] This reduces the burden on the user and makes programming more efficient by automatically disabling child icons when a parent icon is disabled.

[0058] In addition to the case of a parent-child relationship, when one of a plurality of icons having a certain relationship is disabled by a user operation, the other icons among the plurality of icons may be automatically disabled. For example, icon 212 shown in FIG. 5 is a wide icon that can provide a unified function as a whole by arranging other icons within its range. In this case, when icon 212 is disabled, the icons arranged within its range may be automatically disabled.

[0059] In a program such as the vision program 503 described above, there are icons that are required for the program to function. In the case of the vision program 503, the required icons are the snap icon 230 corresponding to the camera's imaging function, the "pattern match 2" icon 237 for detecting an object, and the "calculate correction data" icon 240 for calculating correction data based on the detection results. The disabling control unit 116 may control the required icons in the vision program so that they are not disabled. This function can be realized, for example, by (1) storing in advance information that associates required icons with each type of program, and (2) referring to the information when an operation to disable an icon is performed to determine whether the icon can be disabled.

[0060] As described above, according to this embodiment, the user can disable the icon that he or she intends to disable with an even easier operation, thereby enabling the user to create programs more efficiently.

[0061] Although the present invention has been described using exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications and various other changes, omissions, and additions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0062] 3 is an example, and various modifications of the functional allocation are possible. For example, a configuration is possible in which some of the functions of the teaching device 10 (program creation unit, icon data storage unit) are located on the robot control device 50 side.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 1, the functions of the teaching device 10 and the robot control device 50 can be defined as a teaching device 40 as a whole.

[0064] The configuration of the teaching device according to the embodiment described above can be applied not only to programming of robots but also to programming of various industrial machines.

[0065] The functional blocks of the teaching device, robot control device, and visual sensor control device shown in Figure 3 may be realized by the processors of these devices executing various software stored in a storage device, or may be realized by a configuration mainly based on hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0066] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Teaching device 20 Visual sensor control device 30 Robot 33 Hand 50 Robot control device 11, 51 Processor 12, 52 Memory 15, 53 Input / output interface 13 Display unit 14, 54 Operation unit 100 Robot system 110 Program creation unit 111 Screen generation unit 112 Icon operation unit 113 Icon setting unit 114 Program execution unit 115 Icon data storage unit 116 Disabling control unit 121 Storage unit 122 Image processing unit 151 Storage unit 152 Operation control unit 200 Icon display area 300, 300A Program creation area 400, 400A Program creation screen

Claims

1. A teaching device for creating programs using icons representing functions that constitute a control program for industrial machinery, comprising: a program creation unit that generates a program creation screen for arranging icons to create a program; and a disabling control unit that disables an icon arranged on the program creation screen based on an operation on the icon.

2. The teaching device according to claim 1, wherein the disabling control unit enables a disabled icon arranged on the program creation screen based on an operation on the disabled icon.

3. The teaching device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the disabling control unit automatically disables an icon for which settings have not been completed that is arranged on the program creation screen.

4. The teaching device according to claim 3, wherein the disabling control unit disables the icon for which setting has not been completed in response to an instruction to execute a control program.

5. The teaching device according to claim 3, wherein the disabling control unit disables the incomplete setting icon in response to the incomplete setting icon being placed on the program creation screen.

6. A teaching device as described in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the disabling control unit enables an icon that has not yet been set and is disabled in response to completion of setting of the icon.

7. A teaching device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation for disabling an icon includes an operation for specifying a range for selecting icons to be disabled on the program creation screen.

8. The teaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the disabling control unit makes the disabled icon invisible based on a predetermined user operation.

9. The teaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the disabling control unit minimizes the display of the disabled icon based on a predetermined user operation.

10. A teaching device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the disabling control unit, when disabling an icon in accordance with the operation for disabling the icon, displays an image showing a message indicating that the icon will be disabled.

11. A teaching device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the disabling control unit displays a menu screen including instructions to disable the icon in response to the operation for disabling the icon, and disables the icon in response to receiving instructions to disable the icon via the menu screen.

12. A teaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the disabling control unit allows only disabled icons to be deleted from the program creation screen.

13. A teaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the disabling control unit automatically disables an icon that has a specific relationship with the icon that has been disabled by the operation for disabling the icon.

14. A teaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the control program is a program that includes capturing images using a visual sensor and processing the captured images.

Images