Control system, control method and program

Abstract

To achieve the compatibility between suppression of increase in the amount of data required for controlling a robot and control of the robot.SOLUTION: A control system comprises a control unit that obtains route information which indicates a moving route by indicating a plurality of locations on the moving route, and that controls operation of a target object on the basis of the obtained route information. The locations indicated by the route information are locations indicated by positional information obtained by an operator-robot, which is a robot that is manipulated by an operator to operate, and that moves along the moving route and obtains positional information for the device itself in accordance with one of two different rules. A first rule as one of the two rules is a rule that positional information should be obtained at a timing or a position specified by the operator, and a second rule as the other one of the two rules is a rule that positional information should be obtained at a predetermined time interval. The rule that is applied in obtaining positional information is switched from the one rule to the other rule in accordance with a switching instruction from the operator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system, a control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] With the aim of improving human safety and work efficiency, technological development is being conducted to replace human work with robots. In order to replace work with robots, teaching is carried out to have the robot memorize the movements in advance. Simple tasks can be reproduced with a small amount of data, but reproducing complex tasks requires the storage of a large amount of data, so the maximum number of movements that can be stored is limited by the capacity of the storage medium. In order to solve this problem, it is desirable to suppress the increase in data volume. Therefore, the following technologies have been proposed as methods for suppressing data volume. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 63-106011 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2022 / 071588 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in both cases, it was sometimes difficult to suppress the increase in the amount of data required for controlling the robot while still controlling the robot. For example, in Patent Document 1, the robot cannot be made to stay in an arbitrary position. In addition, in Patent Document 2, for example, thinning is performed, so movements with small changes cannot be reproduced. In this way, in both cases, the robot is not sufficiently controlled as a result of the reduction in the amount of data.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a technique that achieves both the suppression of an increase in the amount of data required for controlling a robot and the control of the robot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a control system comprising: a control unit that acquires route information, which is information indicating a movement route of a robot to be controlled, by indicating a number of positions on the movement route together with the order in which the controlled object passes through, and controls the operation of the controlled object based on the acquired route information, wherein each position indicated by the route information is a position indicated by each of the position information obtained by a pilot robot, which is a robot that operates in response to operation by a pilot, a robot that moves along the movement route, and a robot that acquires its own position information according to one of two different rules, wherein a first rule, which is one of the two rules, is a rule that the position information is acquired at a timing or position instructed by the pilot, and a second rule, which is the other of the two rules, is a rule that position information is acquired at predetermined time intervals, and the rule applied in acquiring the position information is switched from one of the two rules to the other rule in accordance with a switching instruction, which is an instruction by the pilot to switch between the two rules. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress an increase in the amount of data required for controlling a robot while still controlling the robot. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overview of a control system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process executed by a control device in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process during teaching in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Embodiment] 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overview of a control system 100 in an embodiment. The control system 100 includes a robot 1 and a control device 2. The robot 1 is a robot such as an industrial robot, and is an object to be controlled by the control device 2. The control device 2 controls the control device. The control device 2 includes a control unit 21 including a processor 91 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory 92 connected by a bus, and executes a program.

[0010] The control unit 21 executes a control process. The control process is a process for controlling the operation of a control target based on the results of teaching performed in advance. Here, an example of the teaching performed in advance will be described.

[0011] <About teaching> Teaching is a process of storing the movements of a controlled object in advance. More specifically, teaching is a process of moving a robot to store the position and posture of the controlled object together with information indicating a predetermined timing during the movement in a predetermined storage device. The path of the robot's movement during teaching is the movement path indicated by the path information. Therefore, teaching is a process of at least acquiring path information indicating the movement path of the controlled object.

[0012] Thus, teaching is a process of obtaining at least path information, and the teaching result includes at least the path information. More specifically, the path information is information indicating the path of the controlled object by indicating a plurality of positions on the path of movement together with the order in which the controlled object passes through them. In addition to the path information, teaching may also obtain information on the attitude of the controlled object for each of the plurality of positions on the path of movement.

[0013] The robot used for teaching (hereinafter referred to as the "operator robot") is a robot that operates under the control of an operator, moves along a moving path, and acquires its own position information according to one of two different rules. The positions indicated by each piece of position information acquired by the operator robot are the positions indicated by the path information. The operator robot may be the controlled object itself, or it may be another robot different from the controlled object.

[0014] <About the two different rules> The two different rules mentioned above will be explained. One of the two rules (hereinafter referred to as the "first rule") is a rule that position information of a position is acquired at a timing or position instructed by the pilot. The other of the two rules (hereinafter referred to as the "second rule") is a rule that position information is acquired at either a predetermined time interval or a predetermined distance interval. In other words, the second rule may be a rule that position information is acquired at a predetermined time interval, or a rule that position information is acquired at a predetermined distance interval by using a predetermined distance interval instead of a predetermined time interval. For simplicity of explanation, the following explanation will be given taking as an example a case where the second rule is a rule that position information is acquired at a predetermined time interval.

[0015] Regarding the two rules described above, the rule applied when acquiring path information (i.e., when teaching) is switched from one of the two rules to the other rule according to an instruction from the operator to switch between the two rules (hereinafter referred to as a "switching instruction"). The switching instruction is input, for example, to the operator robot during teaching. The switching instruction may be input, for example, to a device that controls the operator robot (hereinafter referred to as a "teaching control device"). When a switching instruction is input to the teaching control device, the operator robot performs an operation according to the switching instruction under the control of the teaching control device. The timing of the switching instruction is the timing at which the switching instruction is input to the operator robot or the teaching control device.

[0016] Here, the difference between the position information obtained according to the first rule and the position information obtained according to the second rule will be described using an example in which the work of the controlled object is painting. Note that painting is used as an example for the sake of simplicity of explanation, and the work does not have to be painting as long as the controlled object needs to perform the work while moving a short distance, and may be, for example, curved surface welding of an object with a three-dimensional shape. Note that in the example of FIG. 1, the automobile 9 in FIG. 1 is an example of the object of work performed by the controlled object.

[0017] To explain using the example of painting, the route for which position information is acquired by the second rule is the route along which the controlled object paints the object to be painted after teaching. The route shown by the curved line from position P2 to position P3 in the example of Fig. 1 is an example of the route for which position information is acquired by the second rule. As can be seen from the fact that the route shown by the curved line from position P2 to position P3 is close to automobile 9, it is the route along which the controlled object paints.

[0018] On the other hand, the route for which position information is acquired under the first rule is the route along which the controlled object moves from the waiting place to start painting and the route along which the controlled object moves to the waiting place after painting is completed. In the example of Fig. 1, position P1 in Fig. 1 is an example of a predetermined waiting place, and the straight line route from position P1 to position P2 and the straight line route from position P3 to position P1 are examples of routes for which position information is acquired under the first rule.

[0019] As can be seen from the example in Figure 1, the path along which painting is carried out is often not a straight line. In other words, it is curved. And while a straight line requires only two points to be specified, a curved line cannot be specified with two points. For this reason, the path along which painting is carried out needs to be specified in greater detail than a straight line. Therefore, when painting an object, the controlled object needs to move a short distance while the work is being carried out. However, acquiring position information over a short distance places a heavy burden on the user if position information is acquired according to the first rule. Therefore, position information is acquired according to the second rule.

[0020] On the other hand, when simply moving from or to a designated waiting location, the controlled object does not perform any work during the movement, so it is sufficient to specify two points: the designated waiting location and the destination or source of the movement.

[0021] Therefore, even if the location information is acquired according to the first rule, the burden on the user is not so large. Also, if the second rule is used to acquire location information of a route for simply moving from a waiting place or moving to a waiting place, location information of many positions is acquired even though two points are sufficient, and the amount of data increases unnecessarily. Therefore, when simply moving from a specified waiting place or acquiring location information of a route for moving to a specified waiting place, location information is acquired according to the first rule rather than the second rule.

[0022] That is, when the location information is acquired according to the second rule, the location information is acquired at a shorter distance or time interval than when the location information is acquired according to the first rule. There is a difference in the use scenarios of such teaching between the location information acquired according to the first rule and the location information acquired according to the second rule.

[0023] Due to such differences, the control unit 21 may perform different controls when the controlled object moves from the movement origin to the position indicated by the position information obtained by the first rule and when the controlled object moves from the movement origin to the position indicated by the position information obtained by the second rule. For example, when the controlled object moves to the position indicated by the position information obtained by the first rule, the movement speed may be a predetermined speed such as the maximum movement speed of the controlled object. Therefore, when the controlled object moves to the position indicated by the position information obtained by the first rule, the control unit 21 moves the controlled object at a predetermined speed such as the maximum movement speed of the controlled object. Hereinafter, the movement speed of the controlled object to the position indicated by the position information obtained by the first rule is referred to as the first movement speed.

[0024] On the other hand, when the controlled object moves to the position indicated by the position information obtained by the second rule, the controlled object performs the work while moving a short distance, so the movement speed needs to be smaller than a predetermined possibility that the controlled object may pass by without being able to stop. Therefore, the movement speed of the controlled object moving to the position indicated by the position information obtained by the second rule (hereinafter referred to as the "second movement speed") does not necessarily need to be the same as the first movement speed. The second movement speed is, for example, slower than the maximum movement speed of the controlled object.

[0025] In this way, the control of the control object by the control unit 21 is not necessarily the same for movement to the position of the position information obtained by the first rule and movement to the position of the position information obtained by the second rule. Note that the difference between the control of the control object's movement to the position of the position information obtained by the first rule and the control of the control object's movement to the position of the position information obtained by the second rule by the control unit 21 does not necessarily have to be only the difference in speed.

[0026] As disclosed in the above description, in the control process, the control unit 21 may control the operation of the control target by using the position information obtained by the first rule and the position information obtained by the second rule. For example, in the control process, the control unit 21 controls the operation of the control target based on a combination of the position information obtained by the first rule and the position information obtained by the second rule.

[0027] When a combination is used in this way, it becomes possible to control the controlled object according to the way of combination.

[0028] In the control process, the control unit 21 may perform, for example, a determination process and control the operation of the control target based on the result of the determination process. The determination process is a process for determining whether each piece of position information indicated by the route information was obtained according to the first rule or the second rule.

[0029] In such a case, the control unit 21 automatically determines whether each piece of location information indicated by the route information is obtained according to the first rule or the second rule without the user having to determine this. Therefore, when a combination of location information obtained according to the first rule and location information obtained according to the second rule is used to control a control target, the user can create the combination without worrying about which rule the location information to be combined was obtained according to.

[0030] <Getting information about time> However, in teaching, it is not necessary to acquire only route information. In teaching, for example, information related to time may be acquired. Also, as described above, the difference between the control of the movement of the control object to the position of the position information acquired by the first rule by the control unit 21 and the control of the movement of the control object to the position of the position information acquired by the second rule does not necessarily have to be only the difference in speed.

[0031] The difference between the control of the movement of the controlled object by the control unit 21 to the position of the position information obtained by the first rule and the control of the movement of the controlled object to the position of the position information obtained by the second rule may also be based on information regarding time if information regarding time is also obtained during teaching.

[0032] Here, several examples of combinations of time acquisition and control using the acquired time will be shown, and examples of control by the control unit 21 corresponding to each example will be shown.

[0033] <<First example of a combination of acquiring time and controlling using the acquired time>> A first example of a combination of time acquisition and control using the acquired time will be described. At the timing of acquisition of position information other than start position information among position information obtained according to the second rule during teaching according to the second rule, in addition to the position information, elapsed time information may also be acquired in association with the position information. In teaching according to the first rule, even if position information is acquired, elapsed time information is not acquired. Therefore, the position information obtained according to the first rule is not associated with elapsed time information.

[0034] The start position information is the position information obtained according to the second rule that is obtained first after the rule is switched from the first rule to the second rule by a switching instruction. Therefore, the start position information is, for example, the position information obtained according to the second rule for the first time after the acquisition of the position information according to the first rule is completed and an instruction to acquire the position information according to the second rule is given. In other words, the start position information is the position where the acquisition of the position information according to the second rule is performed for the first time after the state where the acquisition of the position information according to the first rule is switched to the state where the acquisition of the position information according to the second rule is performed. The timing of the first acquisition after the rule is switched from the first rule to the second rule may be the same as the timing of the switching instruction.

[0035] The elapsed time information is the time elapsed until the location information of the destination of the elapsed time information is acquired according to the second rule, and is information on the elapsed time from the timing of the switching instruction immediately before the timing when the location information is acquired according to the second rule. In other words, it is the time of the attention timing on a time axis whose time origin is the timing of the switching instruction that is before the attention timing and closest to the attention timing. The attention timing is the timing when the location information of the destination of the elapsed time information is acquired according to the second rule.

[0036] However, the start position information does not include elapsed time information. As described above, the position information obtained according to the first rule is not associated with time information. The start position information also does not include time information. Therefore, although the start position information is obtained according to the second rule, if we focus only on the obtained data, it is information obtained according to the first rule.

[0037] In such a case, when moving to a position for which elapsed time information has been acquired in association with position information, control unit 21 moves the controlled object according to the time indicated by the elapsed time information, whereas when moving to a position for which elapsed time information has not been acquired in association with position information, control unit 21 moves the controlled object at the same speed as the first moving speed.

[0038] As a result, the moving speed of the controlled object is substantially controlled by the elapsed time information, thereby achieving high controllability.

[0039] The effect of not acquiring elapsed time information in association with position information at the position indicated by the start position information will be explained. In this regard, we will consider teaching (hereinafter referred to as "comparison teaching") in which elapsed time information is acquired even at the position indicated by the start position information when a first rule end instruction is not input before a switching instruction. The first rule end instruction is information indicating that acquisition of information under the first rule has ended. The first rule end instruction is input by the user to the input destination of the switching instruction.

[0040] In the case of comparative teaching, since the user is a human, even if the user plans to execute teaching on the premise of the instruction to end the first rule, the user may forget to input the instruction to end the first rule and input a switching instruction. As a result, the elapsed time information is also acquired in the start position information, and the controlled object moves at a speed different from the moving speed expected by the user. In this way, teaching that satisfies the teaching conditions is problematic.

[0041] On the other hand, in the first example of the combination of time acquisition and control using the acquired time, the above problem does not occur even if the first rule end condition is not input before the switching instruction. In this way, in a situation where the teaching is a comparative teaching and the user plans to execute the teaching on the premise of the first rule end instruction, the first example of the combination of time acquisition and control using the acquired time can reduce the risk of teaching failure due to user operation error.

[0042] <<Second example of combination of time acquisition and control using the acquired time>> A second example of a combination of acquiring time and control using the acquired time will be described. In the second example, at the timing when the location information is acquired according to the second rule, in addition to the location information, elapsed time information is also acquired in association with the location information. That is, not only for location information other than the above-mentioned start location information, but also for the start location information, elapsed time information may be acquired at the position where it is acquired.

[0043] In such a case, the control unit 21 may execute different controls in the first case and the second case. In the first case, the operation of the control target is controlled based on the route information, and the control target is moved to a position indicated by the position information obtained according to the first rule, and then the control target is moved to a destination position indicated by the position information obtained according to the second rule.

[0044] In the second case, the operation of the controlled object is controlled based on route information, and the controlled object is first moved to a position indicated by position information obtained in accordance with the second rule, and then moved to a position indicated by other position information obtained in accordance with the second rule.

[0045] It should be noted that when acquiring location information according to the first rule, time information is not acquired.

[0046] In the first case, the control unit 21 controls the operation of the control object without using the elapsed time information corresponding to the position information indicating the destination. Specifically, the control unit 21 moves the control object to the destination at the same speed as the first moving speed. In the second case, the control unit 21 controls the operation of the control object using the elapsed time information corresponding to the other position information. Specifically, when moving to a position indicated by the other position information, the control unit 21 moves the control object according to the time indicated by the elapsed time information corresponding to the other position information. Note that when moving to a position for which elapsed time information has not been acquired in association with the position information, the control unit 21 moves the control object at the same speed as the first moving speed.

[0047] As a result, in the second case, high controllability is achieved by essentially controlling the movement speed of the controlled object using elapsed time information, while the control in the first case makes it possible to shorten the time required for one cycle of work, such as leaving a waiting location, performing work, and returning to the waiting location.

[0048] <<Third example of a combination of acquiring time and controlling using the acquired time>> A third example of a combination of time acquisition and control using the acquired time will be described. At the timing of acquisition of the position information obtained according to the second rule during teaching according to the second rule, in addition to the position information, elapsed time information may also be acquired in association with the position information. That is, not only for position information other than the above-mentioned start position information, but also for the start position information, elapsed time information may be acquired at the position where it is acquired.

[0049] In a third example of a combination of acquiring time and control using the acquired time, the control unit 21 moves the controlled object at a first movement speed for movement between positions indicated by the position information obtained according to the first rule, and for movement from the position indicated by the position information obtained according to the first rule to the position indicated by the start position information.

[0050] The information indicating the origin of movement from the position indicated by the position information obtained according to the first rule to the position indicated by the start position information is hereinafter referred to as previous position information.

[0051] In a third example of a combination of acquiring time and control using the acquired time, when moving from a position indicated by the start position information to a position other than the position indicated by the start position information for which elapsed time information has been acquired in correspondence with the position information, the control unit 21 moves the control object in accordance with the time indicated by the elapsed time information.

[0052] The effect of not using the elapsed time information at the position indicated by the start position information will be explained below by considering the above-mentioned comparative teaching.

[0053] In the case of comparative teaching, since the user is a human, even if the user plans to execute teaching on the premise of the instruction to end the first rule, the user may forget to input the instruction to end the first rule and input a switching instruction. As a result, the elapsed time information is also acquired in the start position information, and the controlled object moves at a speed different from the moving speed expected by the user. In this way, teaching that satisfies the teaching conditions is problematic.

[0054] On the other hand, in the third example of the combination of time acquisition and control using the acquired time, the above problem does not occur even if the first rule end condition is not input before the switching instruction. In this way, in a situation where the teaching is a comparative teaching and the user plans to execute the teaching on the premise of the first rule end instruction, the third example of the combination of time acquisition and control using the acquired time can reduce the risk of teaching failure due to user operation error.

[0055] <Example of hardware configuration> 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the control device 2 in the embodiment. As described above, the control device 2 includes the control unit 21 and executes a program. The control device 2 functions as a device including the control unit 21, an interface unit 22, and a storage unit 23 by executing the program.

[0056] More specifically, the processor 91 reads out a program stored in the storage unit 23, and stores the read out program in the memory 92. The processor 91 executes the program stored in the memory 92, whereby the control device 2 functions as a device including the control unit 21, the interface unit 22, and the storage unit 23.

[0057] The control unit 21 performs, for example, control processing. The control unit 21 controls, for example, the operation of each functional unit provided in the control device 2. The control unit 21 controls a control target, for example, via the interface unit 22. The control unit 21 acquires, for example, information stored in the memory unit 23, for example, via the interface unit 22. The process of acquiring the information stored in the memory unit 23 is specifically a read process.

[0058] The interface unit 22 includes a communication interface for connecting the control device 2 to an external device. The interface unit 22 communicates with the external device via wired or wireless communication. The external device is, for example, a control target. In such a case, the interface unit 22 controls the control target by communicating with the control target.

[0059] The external device is, for example, a device that transmits the results of the teaching. In this case, the interface unit 22 acquires the results of the teaching by communicating with the device that transmits the results of the teaching.

[0060] The interface unit 22 includes input devices such as a mouse, a keyboard, and a touch panel. The interface unit 22 may be configured as an interface that connects these input devices to the control device 2. In this way, the interface unit 22 accepts input of various information to the control device 2 via the input device, either wired or wirelessly. Note that the results of teaching do not necessarily need to be input to the communication interface, and may be input to the input device.

[0061] The interface unit 22 outputs various information. The interface unit 22 includes a display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, a liquid crystal display, or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The interface unit 22 may be configured as an interface that connects these display devices to the control device 2. The interface unit 22 outputs information input to the interface unit 22, for example.

[0062] The memory unit 23 is configured using a computer-readable storage medium device (non-transitory computer-readable recording medium) such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The memory unit 23 stores various information related to the control device 2. The memory unit 23 stores, for example, information necessary for controlling a control target. The memory unit 23 stores, for example, various information generated by the operation of the control unit 21. The memory unit 23 stores, for example, information acquired by the interface unit 22. The memory unit 23 stores, for example, the results of teaching.

[0063] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing executed by the control device 2 in the embodiment. The control unit 21 acquires a teaching result (step S101). Next, the control unit 21 controls a control target based on the teaching result obtained in step S101 (step S102).

[0064] The control device 2 in the embodiment configured in this manner controls the control target based on information including position information obtained based on the first rule and the second rule. Therefore, the control device 2 can simultaneously suppress an increase in the amount of data required for controlling the robot and control the robot.

[0065] Moreover, the control system 100 of the embodiment configured as described above includes the control device 2. Therefore, the control device 2 can simultaneously suppress an increase in the amount of data required for controlling the robot and control the robot.

[0066] (Modification) The control unit 21 may execute a complementary position information generation process before moving the control device from the origin of the movement in the third case (i.e., the position indicated by the previous position information) to the destination of the movement in the third case. The complementary position information generation process is a process for generating position information indicating a position that complements between the origin of the movement in the third case and the destination of the movement in the third case (hereinafter referred to as "complementary position information"). After generating the complementary position information, the control unit 21 moves the control device to the destination while moving it to the position indicated by the complementary position information when moving the control object from the origin of the movement in the third case to the destination of the movement in the third case. Furthermore, the control unit 21 stops the control device at each position. Therefore, by generating complementary position information and using it to control the control object, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the control object moves at a high speed that is unexpected by the user.

[0067] The control unit 21 may execute a distance determination process. The distance determination process determines whether or not the distance between the movement origin in the third case and the movement destination in the third case is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. When the distance determination process determines that the distance is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, the control unit 21 moves the controlled object from the movement origin in the third case to the movement destination in the third case at a speed slower than when the distance determination process determines that the distance is not equal to or greater than the predetermined distance. The speed when the distance determination process determines that the distance is not equal to or greater than the predetermined distance is a predetermined speed. The speed when the distance determination process determines that the distance is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance is a predetermined speed slower than the speed when the distance determination process determines that the distance is not equal to or greater than the predetermined distance.

[0068] As described above, in the third case, the control unit 21 controls the movement of the control object so that the control object reaches the destination in the third case from the position indicated by the origin in the third case at the timing when the time indicated by the elapsed time information obtained at the destination in the third case has elapsed. Therefore, the control unit 21 may execute a movement feasibility determination process. The movement feasibility determination process is a process for determining whether or not the control object can reach the destination in the third case from the position indicated by the origin in the third case at the timing when the time indicated by the elapsed time information obtained at the destination in the third case has elapsed.

[0069] Specifically, the movement possibility determination process is a process that determines that the control object cannot move if the acquired movement speed V of the control object is greater than a speed that is predetermined as the possible movement speed of the control object, and determines that the control object can move if not. The acquired movement speed V is a value obtained by dividing the distance L between the movement source and the movement destination by the required movement time T. The distance L is obtained from the position coordinates of the movement source and the position coordinates of the movement destination. The required movement time T is a value obtained by subtracting the time indicated by the elapsed time information obtained at the movement source from the time indicated by the elapsed time information obtained at the movement destination. Therefore, the movement possibility determination process is a process that determines whether or not the control object can move from the movement source to the movement destination based on the position information and elapsed time information obtained for the movement source and the position information and elapsed time information obtained for the movement destination.

[0070] When it is determined by the movement feasibility determination process that the destination cannot be reached, the control unit 21 outputs information indicating that the destination cannot be reached to a predetermined output destination. The predetermined output destination is, for example, the interface unit 22. The predetermined output destination does not necessarily have to be provided in the control device 2, and may be an external output device different from the control device 2 that can be controlled by the control unit 21 via the interface unit 22. The output method may be, for example, the display of an image or video, or the output of sound.

[0071] By executing the movement permission determination process and executing control based on the result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the controlled object will move at a high speed that is unexpected by the user.

[0072] The control unit 21 may execute a distinguishable display process. The distinguishable display process is a process for distinguishably displaying, on a predetermined display destination, a position indicated by the position information obtained according to the first rule and a position indicated by the position information obtained according to the second rule. The predetermined display destination is, for example, a display device provided in the interface unit 22. The predetermined display destination does not necessarily have to be provided in the control device 2, and may be an external display device different from the control device 2 that can be controlled by the control unit 21 via the interface unit 22.

[0073] By executing the identification display process, it becomes easy for the user to know for each position whether the position information was acquired primarily for the purpose of moving a controlled object, or whether the position information was acquired primarily for the purpose of performing work such as painting.

[0074] The control unit 21 may execute a designated conversion process. The designated conversion process is a process for converting information obtained for the displayed second position into information obtained according to the first rule when a position displayed by the identification display process and indicated by position information obtained according to the second rule (hereinafter referred to as the "displayed second position") is specified by the user. The conversion of information obtained for the displayed second position into information obtained according to the first rule will be described in more detail. The displayed second position has been obtained according to the second rule, so position information and elapsed time information have been obtained.

[0075] The above conversion means that information is converted so that the control unit 21 processes the displayed second position as a position for which position information has been obtained according to the first rule when the control unit 21 controls the movement of the control target. Therefore, for example, a process in which the elapsed time information is deleted from the position information and elapsed time information obtained for the displayed second position is an example of the above conversion. Note that the designation by the user in the designation conversion process may be any process as long as the user designates the displayed second position, and is, for example, a process in which the user inputs information indicating the displayed second position via the interface unit 22.

[0076] The control unit 21 may execute a straight-line route notification process. The straight-line route notification process is a process for outputting, to a predetermined output destination, when the moving route indicated by the position information obtained according to the second rule is a straight line, that the moving route indicated by the position information obtained according to the second rule is a straight line. The predetermined output destination is, for example, the interface unit 22. The predetermined output destination does not necessarily have to be provided in the control device 2, and may be an external output device different from the control device 2 that can be controlled by the control unit 21 via the interface unit 22. The output method may be, for example, the display of an image or a video, or the output of sound.

[0077] When the straight line route notification process is executed, if the position information obtained according to the second rule indicates a straight line, the position information is converted to the position information obtained according to the first rule, thereby reducing the amount of data, because the elapsed time information and the information that associates the elapsed time information with the position information are deleted.

[0078] The operator robot may be the control target itself. In this case, the control device 2 may acquire various information obtained during teaching during the teaching.

[0079] <An example of processing during teaching> Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of processing during teaching in the modified example. In the example of Fig. 4, the operator operates a controller to control the operator robot and obtain position information. For the sake of simplicity, the following description will be given taking as an example a case where the interface unit 22 of the control device 2 includes a controller operated by the operator, the control unit 21 of the control device 2 controls the operator robot via the interface unit 22, and the control of the operator robot by the control unit 21 is performed according to an instruction from the operator via the controller. Therefore, in the example of Fig. 4, the operator robot is the control target itself.

[0080] The controller includes at least four types of buttons that can be pressed: a first button, a second button, a third button, and a fourth button. When the first button is pressed, the control unit 21 executes recording of information indicating that teaching is to be executed (hereinafter referred to as "recording progress information") in a predetermined storage device such as the storage unit 23. When the second button is pressed and the recording progress information has already been recorded in a predetermined storage device such as the storage unit 23, the control unit 21 overwrites the recording progress information with information indicating that teaching is not to be executed (hereinafter referred to as "recording stop information"). The third button is a button that executes acquisition of various information including position information according to a second rule only while the button is pressed.

[0081] The various information may be, for example, posture information or time information in addition to position information. The fourth button is a button that acquires various information including position information when pressed, and does not acquire new various information until it is pressed again. The various information may be, for example, posture information or time information in addition to position information. In other words, the third button is a button that executes acquisition of various information including position information according to the second rule, and the fourth button is a button that executes acquisition of various information including position information according to the first rule.

[0082] Now, each process in the flowchart of Fig. 4 will be described. The flowchart of Fig. 4 is repeated at a predetermined cycle. The control unit 21 judges whether or not teaching is to be executed (step S201). Specifically, it judges whether or not recording progress information is recorded in a predetermined storage device such as the storage unit 23, and if recorded, it judges to execute teaching.

[0083] On the other hand, when the recording progress information is not recorded, the control unit 21 determines not to execute teaching. When the recording progress information is not recorded, this means either that the recording progress information and the recording stop information are not recorded, or that the recording progress information is not recorded but the recording stop information is recorded.

[0084] If it is determined that teaching is not to be performed (step S201: NO), the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that teaching is to be performed (step S201: YES), the control unit 21 determines whether the third button is being pressed (step S202). If the third button is being pressed (step S202: YES), this is a state in which position information is to be acquired according to the second rule, so the control unit 21 controls the operator robot to acquire various information according to the second rule (step S203).

[0085] The various information includes at least position information. In the example of FIG. 4, the various information includes a data identifier. The data identifier is an identifier for distinguishing an acquired group of data from other groups of data. The various information in the example of FIG. 4 includes a rule identifier, position information, posture information, and time information. The rule identifier is an identifier indicating whether the rule from which the information was obtained is the first rule or the second rule. In the example of FIG. 4, the above-mentioned group of data is a collection of a rule identifier, position information, posture information, and time information. The time information is, for example, the above-mentioned elapsed time information.

[0086] After step S203, the process returns to step S201.

[0087] On the other hand, if the third button is not being pressed (step S203: NO), control unit 21 determines whether or not the fourth button is pressed (step S204). If the fourth button is not being pressed (step S204: NO), the process returns to step S201.

[0088] On the other hand, if the fourth button is pressed (step S204: YES), this is an instruction to obtain various information including position information according to the first rule, so the control unit 21 controls the operator robot to obtain various information according to the first rule (step S205).

[0089] The various information includes a data identifier, a rule identifier, position information, and posture information. Unlike the case of step S203, the rule is the first rule, so time information is not included in the various information. The rule identifier in step S203 indicates that the information was obtained according to the second rule, and the identifier in step S205 indicates that the information was obtained according to the first rule.

[0090] After step S205, the process returns to step S201.

[0091] All or part of the respective functions of the control system 100 and the control device 2 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program may be transmitted via an electric communication line.

[0092] The control device 2 may be implemented using a plurality of information processing devices communicably connected via a network. In this case, each functional unit of the control device 2 may be distributed and implemented in the plurality of information processing devices.

[0093] In addition, within the scope of the invention, the components in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with well-known components, and the above-described modified examples may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 100... control system, 1... robot, 2... control device, 21... control unit, 22... interface unit, 23... storage unit, 91... processor, 92... memory

Claims

1. a control unit that acquires route information indicating a moving route of a robot to be controlled, the route information being information indicating the moving route by indicating a plurality of positions on the moving route together with the order in which the robot to be controlled passes, and controls an operation of the robot to be controlled based on the acquired route information; Equipped with Each position indicated by the path information is a position indicated by each of the position information obtained by a robot operated by a human operator, which moves along the path of movement and obtains its own position information according to one of two different rules; A first rule, which is one of the two rules, is a rule that the position information is acquired at a timing or a position instructed by the pilot, The second rule, which is the other of the two rules, is a rule that location information is obtained at a predetermined time interval, The rule applied in acquiring the position information is switched from one of the two rules to the other rule in accordance with a switching instruction, which is an instruction by the pilot to switch between the two rules. Control system.

2. The control unit controls the operation of the control target based on a combination of the position information obtained according to the first rule and the position information obtained according to the second rule. The control system of claim 1 .

3. The control unit determines whether each piece of location information indicated by the route information is obtained according to the first rule or the second rule, and controls the operation of the control target based on a result of the determination. The control system of claim 2.

4. At a timing of acquisition according to the second rule of position information other than start position information, which is position information that is acquired first after the rule is switched from the first rule to the second rule by the switching instruction among the position information acquired according to the second rule, in addition to the position information, elapsed time information, which is information on the elapsed time until the position information is acquired according to the second rule and is the elapsed time from the timing of the switching instruction that is immediately before the timing at which the position information is acquired according to the second rule, is also acquired in association with the position information. The control system of claim 2.

5. At the timing when the location information is acquired according to the second rule, in addition to the location information, elapsed time information, which is information on the elapsed time until the location information is acquired according to the second rule and is the elapsed time from the timing of the switching instruction immediately before the timing when the location information is acquired according to the second rule, is also acquired in association with the location information, the control unit, when controlling the operation of the control object based on the route information and moving the control object to a position indicated by position information obtained according to the first rule, and then moving the control object to a destination position indicated by position information obtained according to the second rule, controls the operation of the control object without using the elapsed time information corresponding to the position information indicating the destination; When the control unit controls the operation of the control object based on the route information and moves the control object to a position indicated by position information obtained according to the second rule, and then moves the control object to a position indicated by other position information obtained according to the second rule, the control unit controls the operation of the control object using the elapsed time information corresponding to the other position information. The control system of claim 2.

6. At the timing of acquisition according to the second rule, in addition to the location information, elapsed time information, which is information on the elapsed time until the location information is acquired according to the second rule and is the elapsed time from the timing of the switching instruction immediately before the timing at which the location information is acquired according to the second rule, is also acquired in association with the location information, When the control unit controls the operation of the control object based on the route information, the control unit moves the control object to a position indicated by previous position information, which is position information obtained according to the first rule, and then moves the control object to a destination position indicated by position information obtained according to the second rule, the control unit moves the control object from the position indicated by the previous position information to the destination position at a predetermined speed. The control system of claim 2.

7. the control unit generates position information indicating a position that is complementary between the position indicated by the previous position information and the destination position.

7. The control system of claim 6.

8. the control unit executes a distance determination process to determine whether or not a distance between a position indicated by the previous position information and the destination is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance; when it is determined by the distance determination process that the distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the control unit moves the control object from the position indicated by the previous position information to the destination at a speed slower than when it is determined by the distance determination process that the distance is not equal to or greater than the predetermined distance.

7. The control system of claim 6.

9. the control unit determines whether or not the control target can reach the destination from the origin, which is the position indicated by the previous position information, at a timing when the time indicated by the elapsed time information obtained at the position indicated by the destination has elapsed, based on the position information and elapsed time information obtained for the origin and the position information and elapsed time information obtained for the destination, and when it is determined that the control target cannot reach the destination by the determination, causes information indicating that the control target cannot reach the destination to be output to a predetermined output destination.

7. The control system of claim 6.

10. The control unit causes a position indicated by the position information obtained according to the first rule and a position indicated by the position information obtained according to the second rule to be displayed on a predetermined display device in a distinguishable manner. A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. When the movement route indicated by the position information obtained according to the second rule is a straight line, the control unit outputs to a predetermined output destination that the movement route indicated by the position information obtained according to the second rule is a straight line. A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. Substituting a predetermined distance interval for the predetermined time interval; A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

13. The operator robot is the control target itself. A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

14. a control step of acquiring route information indicating a moving route of a robot to be controlled, the route information being information indicating the moving route by indicating a plurality of positions on the moving route together with the order in which the robot to be controlled passes through, and controlling an operation of the robot to be controlled based on the acquired route information; having Each position indicated by the path information is a position indicated by each of the position information obtained by a robot operated by a human operator, which moves along the path of movement and obtains its own position information according to one of two different rules; A first rule, which is one of the two rules, is a rule that the position information is acquired at a timing or a position instructed by the pilot, The second rule, which is the other of the two rules, is a rule that location information is obtained at a predetermined time interval, The rule applied in acquiring the position information is switched from one of the two rules to the other rule in accordance with a switching instruction, which is an instruction by the pilot to switch between the two rules. Control methods.

15. A program for causing a computer to function as the control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images