Operation device of robot

Abstract

To provide an operation device of a robot that can stop motion of the robot by a method that is different from methods using an emergency stop switch and an enable switch.SOLUTION: An operation device of a robot comprises: a display unit; an input unit having a stop button that is displayed on the display unit; a display processing unit that executes display processing for displaying the stop button on the display unit; and a stop processing unit that executes stop processing for stopping the robot on the basis of software processing when the stop button is operated. The display processing includes processing in which when the input unit does not receive input for a predetermined time, a screen saver is activated to display a screen saver screen on the display unit, and processing for displaying the stop button on the screen saver screen in a valid state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a robot manipulation device. [Background technology]

[0002] To ensure the safety of workers, the operating device used to teach the robot is equipped with an emergency stop switch to bring the robot to an emergency stop and an enable switch to allow the robot to operate only while the worker is operating it as intended. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-110873 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in order to further improve safety and convenience for workers, there is a demand for a method of stopping the operation of a robot that differs from conventional methods such as an emergency stop switch or an enable switch.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a robot operating device that can stop the robot's operation using a method different from an emergency stop switch or an enable switch. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A robot operating device according to an embodiment includes a display unit, an input unit having a stop button displayed on the display unit and receiving operational input from an operator, a display processing unit that executes display processing to display the stop button on the display unit, and a stop processing unit that executes stop processing to stop the robot based on software processing when the stop button is operated, and the display processing includes processing to start a screen saver and display a screen saver screen on the display unit when the input unit does not accept input for a predetermined period of time, and processing to display the stop button in an enabled state on the screen saver screen. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an example of a robot operation device according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electrical configuration of a robot operating device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a stop button displayed on a display unit of an example of a robot operation device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of how the display color of a stop button displayed on a screen saver screen changes at predetermined time intervals in an example of a robot operating device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of how the brightness of a stop button displayed on a screen saver screen changes at predetermined time intervals in an example of a robot operating device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of how the display size of a stop button displayed on a screen saver screen changes at predetermined time intervals in an example of a robot operating device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of how the display position of a stop button displayed on a screen saver screen changes at predetermined time intervals in an example of a robot operating device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, a robot operating device according to several embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings, in which the robot operating device is applied to a teaching device such as a teaching pendant. Note that in each embodiment, the same components are assigned the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0009] (First embodiment) First, a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. An operation device 10 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is communicably connected to a robot controller 91, and controls the operation of a robot 92 via the robot controller 91. The robot 92 is an object to be operated by the operation device 10, and is assumed to be an industrial robot, such as a vertically articulated robot, a horizontally articulated robot, or a parallel link robot.

[0010] The robot controller 91 includes a non-safety system control device 911 and a safety system control device 912. The non-safety system control device 911 is a device that mainly controls the operation of the robot 92, such as by generating and outputting control commands based on settings and instructions from the operation device 10. The safety system control device 912 is a device that mainly performs safety-related control, such as by cutting off the power supply to the robot 92 to stop it when an emergency stop operation is input, for example.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1 , the operating device 10 includes a housing 11, an emergency stop switch 12, an enable switch 13, a mode selector switch 14, a display unit 15, and an input unit 16. The housing 11 is configured to be sized so that an operator can hold it in his / her hand. The housing 11 also includes a power switch (not shown). The power switch is used to turn the power of the operating device 10 on and off. When the power switch is operated to turn on the power, the operating device 10 executes a process to safely start up the operating device 10. When the power switch is operated to turn off the power, the operating device 10 executes a process to safely shut down the operating device 10.

[0012] The emergency stop switch 12 is for bringing the robot 92 to an emergency stop according to stop category 0 or 1 in accordance with the IEC 60204-1 standard. Stop category 0 is a stop mode in which the robot 92 is stopped by cutting off its drive source. Stop category 1 is a stop mode in which the robot 92 is stopped by control and then its drive source is cut off. And stop category 2 is a stop mode in which the robot 92 is stopped by control while its drive force is still applied.

[0013] The emergency stop switch 12 is configured, for example, by an electromechanical switch having normally closed physical contacts. Each contact of the emergency stop switch 12 is connected to the safety system control device 912. When the emergency stop switch 12 is not operated, the contacts are closed and the switch is on, allowing the safety system control device 912 to supply power to the robot 92. When the emergency stop switch 12 is operated by an operator, the contacts are opened and the switch is turned off, thereby cutting off the power supply to the robot 92 from the safety system control device 912 and bringing the robot 92 to an emergency stop. Stopping the robot 92 by operating the emergency stop switch 12 takes priority over all other functions. In other words, the emergency stop switch 12 plays a role in reliably stopping the robot 92 in an emergency.

[0014] The enable switch 13 is used to stop the robot 92 in either stop category 0, 1, or 2 in accordance with the IEC 60204-1 standard, and enables the execution of functions when operated continuously. The enable switch 13 is provided on the back side of the housing 11. The enable switch 13 enables the execution of functions such as manually operating the robot 92 only when, for example, an operator holding the operating device 10 continues to operate the enable switch 13 intentionally. In other words, the enable switch 13 serves as an interlock to prevent accidents due to operator operation errors.

[0015] The enable switch 13 is configured as an electromechanical switch such as a three-position switch. In this case, the enable switch 13 is turned off when it is pressed firmly and not pressed firmly, and turned on when it is pressed lightly, i.e., in the intermediate position between the two off positions. The safety system control device 912 permits manual operation of the robot 92 when the enable switch 13 is turned on, and prohibits, i.e., stops, manual operation of the robot 92 when the enable switch 13 is turned off. Note that the execution of other functions can be permitted or prohibited depending on the operation of the enable switch 13. Furthermore, a configuration may be provided in which multiple enable switches 13 are provided to accommodate cases where the robot is held with the right hand and cases where it is held with the left hand, for example.

[0016] The mode selector switch 14 is a switch for switching the operation mode of the robot 92 between manual mode and automatic mode. The manual mode is a mode for manually operating the robot 92, and the automatic mode is a mode for automatically operating the robot 92. The operator can alternatively select either the manual mode or the automatic mode by operating the mode selector switch 14. The operation modes may include a teach check mode, which is a mode for checking the taught positions, paths, etc.

[0017] The display unit 15 is a user interface capable of displaying images and the like, and can be configured, for example, by a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like. The input unit 16 receives operational input from an operator. The input unit 16 has an operation unit 161 and physical buttons 162. The operation unit 161 is a user interface that receives operational input from a user in response to information displayed on the display unit 15, and can be configured, for example, by a mouse, a keyboard, or a touch panel. The operation unit 161 includes at least a pointing device or a touch device that can designate a specific position on the screen displayed on the display unit 15.

[0018] When a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display is used as the display unit 15 and a touch panel is used as the operation unit 161, the display unit 15 and the operation unit 161 can be configured as an integrated touch panel display. Alternatively, the display unit 15 can be configured as a wearable display that is worn on the head of the worker, for example. In this case, the operation unit 161 can be configured to detect an operation input by the worker based on the movement of the fingers of the worker wearing the display unit 15 or the movement of a pointing device used by the worker. In this configuration, the worker inputs an operation to the operation unit 161 by virtually touching, for example, icons displayed on the display unit 15 with the worker's fingers or pointing device. The physical buttons 162 are configured as multiple physical buttons that receive operation inputs from the worker. The physical buttons 162 are provided, for example, on the surface side of the housing 11.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, the operation device 10 further includes a control unit 20, an input processing unit 21, a display processing unit 22, a setting processing unit 23, and a stop processing unit 24. The control unit 20 is housed inside the housing 11. The control unit 20 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having, for example, a CPU 201 and a storage area 202 such as a ROM, a RAM, and a rewritable flash memory, and controls the operation of the entire operation device 10. The storage area 202 stores computer programs. The display unit 15 and the operation unit 161 operate under the control of the control unit 20.

[0020] The control unit 20 executes a computer program in the CPU 201, thereby virtually realizing the input processing unit 21, display processing unit 22, setting processing unit 23, stop processing unit 24, etc. by software. Note that the input processing unit 21, display processing unit 22, setting processing unit 23, and stop processing unit 24 may also be realized by hardware including electrical components such as integrated circuits, transistors, or switching relays that operate in cooperation with the control unit 20.

[0021] The input processing unit 21 has a function of generating commands for controlling the operation of the robot 92 based on operation inputs received by the input unit 16, and transmitting the commands to, for example, a non-safety control device 911 of the robot controller 91. The non-safety control device 911 operates the robot 92 based on commands received from the operation device 10, for example, when the operation of the robot 92 is permitted.

[0022] The display processing unit 22 executes display processing to control the display content of the display unit 15. The display processing includes, for example, processing for displaying on the display unit 15 graphics and numerical values ​​indicating the robot's posture according to the operating status of the robot 92, various setting information, input information, and the like. The display processing also includes processing for activating a screen saver and displaying a screen saver screen 151 on the display unit 15 when the input unit 16 does not accept any input for a predetermined period of time, for example, 5 to 10 minutes. The screen saver screen 151 is a screen displayed to protect the display unit 15 from, for example, burn-in of the LCD. The display processing includes processing for terminating the operation of the screen saver and displaying the original screen or another screen on the display unit 15 when a user inputs to the input unit 16 while the screen saver screen 151 is being displayed. The original screen or another screen includes an operation screen. The operation screen is a screen for accepting operation inputs from the operation unit 161.

[0023] The setting processing unit 23 executes setting processing to set the operation mode to either the manual mode or the automatic mode based on the operation received by the mode selector switch 14. In this case, the setting processing unit 23 generates a command to switch the operation mode and transmits it to, for example, the non-safety control device 911 of the robot controller 91. The non-safety control device 911 switches the operation mode based on the command received from the operation device 10.

[0024] The stop processing unit 24 executes a stop process that stops the robot 92 based on software processing. "Based on software processing" means that the operation by the operator does not directly cause the robot 92 to stop, as with the electromechanically configured emergency stop switch 12, but rather the stop process is executed by an instruction from the CPU 201, via software processing in the CPU 201, in response to an operator's operation. The stop process is a process that stops the operation of the robot 92 in stop category 0 or 1 in accordance with the IEC 60204-1 standard. The stop process also includes a process that stops the robot 92 in accordance with a stop category that has been set in advance for the stop process when the operator operates the stop button 17 displayed on the display unit 15.

[0025] In this embodiment, the stop processing by the stop processing unit 24 is assumed to be configured such that an instruction to stop the robot 92 is output from the stop processing unit 24 to the robot controller 91. In this case, the safety system control device 912 stops the robot 92 upon receiving the instruction to stop from the stop processing unit 24. Also, a normally closed switch connected to the safety system control device 912 may be provided in the housing 11. In this configuration, when the stop processing unit 24 executes the stop processing, the stop processing unit 24 turns off the switch provided in the housing 11 in response to an instruction from the CPU 201. Then, the safety system control device 912 stops the robot 92 based on the switch being turned off. In this way, the stop processing of the robot 92 can be realized in a manner similar to that of the emergency stop switch 12.

[0026] The display processing executed by the display processing unit 22 also includes processing for displaying, on the display unit 15, a stop button 17 that receives an operation for executing a stop process. The stop button 17 constitutes a part of the operation unit 161. The stop button 17 can be operated in the same manner as when an operator normally operates the operation unit 161. A touch operation is an example of an operation input to the operation unit 161. As shown in FIG. 3, the stop button 17 is displayed, for example, in such a manner that the word "STOP" 171 is surrounded by a circle 172, and the circle 172 is further surrounded by a rectangle 173. The stop button 17 in FIG. 3 is used when the stop processing unit 24 is used as an emergency stop device for emergency stopping the robot 92, that is, a stop button for performing an emergency stop. If the stop button 17 is used as an emergency stop button, the display processing unit 22 must display the stop button 17 in red in accordance with the ISO 13850 standard.

[0027] In this case, the display processing unit 22 displays, for example, on the operation screen, the area inside the circle 172 of the stop button 17 except for the characters 171, by filling it in red, and the area inside the rectangle 173 that forms the background of the circle 172 by filling it in yellow. The display processing also includes processing for displaying the boundary lines L of the elements that make up the stop button 17, i.e., the outlines L of the figures, characters, symbols, etc. that make up the stop button 17, in a manner in which white and black colors are adjacent to each other, as shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, the outlines L are arranged as black lines inside white lines, but they may also be arranged as white lines inside black lines.

[0028] The stop button 17 can also be used when the stop processing unit 24 is a normal stop device that stops the robot 92 normally rather than in an emergency, i.e., as a stop button for stopping the robot 92 during normal operation. "Normal operation" refers to a non-emergency state, in which a worker is performing a general task using the operation device 10, such as checking the robot 92's posture using a 3D model, editing a program, or teaching the robot 92, or is able to perform such a task. Furthermore, when the stop button 17 is used as a stop button for stopping the robot 92 during normal operation, the IEC 60204-1 standard recommends that the color of the stop button 17 be black or gray. In this case, the display processing unit 22 may, for example, fill in the inside of the circle 172 of the stop button 17 except for the character 171 with black, and fill in the inside of the rectangle 173 that forms the background of the circle 172 and the inside of the character 31 with white.

[0029] Generally, when the screen saver is activated, the display unit 15 does not display anything related to the operation of the robot 92. However, from the viewpoint of ensuring work safety, it is desirable to always have the stop button 17 visible and operable by the worker. Therefore, in this embodiment, the display process includes a process of displaying the stop button 17 in an enabled state on the screen saver screen 151. This allows the worker to view the stop button 17 even while the screen saver is activated. Since the worker can operate the stop button 17 even while the screen saver is activated, the function of stopping the robot 92 using the stop button 17 can be reliably realized. To enable the stop button 17 to be displayed on the display unit 15 while the screen saver is activated, the screen saver function may be set in an area other than the stop button 17, or the stop button 17 may be displayed in front of the screen saver screen 151.

[0030] Furthermore, in order to prevent burn-in or deterioration of the display unit 15, it is possible to consider a display mode of the stop button 17 displayed on the screen that is different from that of the stop button 17 displayed on, for example, the operation screen. A different display mode includes changing the display content of the stop button 17 displayed on the screen at a predetermined time interval. The predetermined time interval may be a regular time interval or may be a non-regular time interval. In this case, the display process can be configured to include a process of changing the display mode of the stop button 17 displayed on the screen saver screen 151 from the display mode of the stop button 17 displayed on the screen before the screen saver is activated, for example, the operation screen.

[0031] 4, the display process includes a process of changing the display color of stop button 17 on screen saver screen 151 at predetermined time intervals. In this case, stop button 17 can be configured so that, for example, the fill of the inside of circle 172 other than character 171 alternates between red and yellow, the fill of the inside of rectangle 173 alternates between yellow and red, and character 171 alternates between white and black at predetermined time intervals. The combination of display colors that changes at predetermined time intervals is not limited to this.

[0032] As described above, the operation device 10 according to this embodiment includes the display unit 15, the input unit 16, the display processing unit 22, and the stop processing unit 24. The input unit 16 has the stop button 17 displayed on the display unit 15 and receives operation input from the worker. The display processing unit 22 executes display processing to display the stop button 17 on the display unit 15. The stop processing unit 24 executes stop processing to stop the robot 92 based on software processing when the stop button 17 is operated. In this way, the robot 92 can also be stopped by the stop processing, and therefore the operation of the robot 92 can be stopped by a method other than the conventional method, such as an emergency stop switch or an enable switch.

[0033] Here, the display processing includes a process of activating a screen saver and displaying a screen saver screen 151 on the display unit 15 when the input unit 16 does not accept input for a predetermined time, and a process of displaying a stop button 17 in an enabled state on the screen saver screen 151.

[0034] This allows the user to intentionally execute the stop process even when the screen saver is running, thereby improving the usability of the controller device 10.

[0035] The display process also includes processing for changing the display mode of stop button 17 displayed on screen saver screen 151 from the display mode of stop button 17 displayed on the screen before the screen saver is activated. By changing the display mode of stop button 17 depending on whether the screen saver is activated or not, it becomes easier to take measures against screen burn-in when stop button 17 is displayed on screen saver screen 151. Furthermore, by visually checking stop button 17 displayed on screen saver screen 151, the user can know that the screen saver is activated.

[0036] The display process also includes a process of changing the display color of the stop button 17 on the screen saver screen 151 at predetermined time intervals. This can further prevent burn-in of the screen on the screen saver screen 151 while ensuring the safety of the operation of the robot 92.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, the display process can include a process of changing the brightness of the stop button 17 on the screen saver screen 151 at predetermined time intervals. The upper diagram of FIG. 5 shows the stop button 17 in a bright state, and the lower diagram of FIG. 5 shows the stop button 17 in a dark state. In this case, the brightness of the stop button 17 can be changed by turning on or off a backlight (not shown) of the display unit 15. The brightness of the stop button 17 may be changed in stages by switching the display light. This also ensures the safety of the operation of the robot 92 while further suppressing image burn-in on the screen saver screen 151.

[0038] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the content of the display processing. Specifically, in the second embodiment, the display processing includes processing for changing the display size of the stop button 17 on the screen saver screen 151 at predetermined time intervals. In other words, the display processing can include processing for repeatedly increasing and decreasing the display size of the stop button 17 on the screen saver screen 151 at predetermined time intervals.

[0039] In this case, display processing unit 22 alternately changes the display size of stop button 17 on screen saver screen 151 between the normal size shown in the upper diagram of Fig. 6 and a size larger than the normal size shown in the lower diagram of Fig. 6 at predetermined time intervals. Display processing unit 22 may alternately change the display size of stop button 17 on screen saver screen 151 between the normal size and a size smaller than the normal size. Furthermore, the display size of stop button 17 may be changed sequentially within a range of multiple stages.

[0040] The second embodiment also provides the same effects as the first embodiment. Furthermore, by changing the display size of the stop button 17 on the screen saver screen 151 at predetermined time intervals, it is possible to ensure the safety of the operation of the robot 92 while further suppressing burn-in of the screen on the screen saver screen 151.

[0041] (Third embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In this third embodiment, the content of the display processing differs from the above-described embodiments. Specifically, in this third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the display processing includes processing for changing the display position of the stop button 17 on the screen saver screen 151 at predetermined time intervals. In this case, the display processing unit 22 continuously moves the stop button 17 on the screen saver screen 151 at predetermined time intervals. This third embodiment also achieves the same effects as the above-described embodiments.

[0042] The above-described embodiments can be combined with each other, and only the characteristic features of two or more embodiments can be extracted and combined. Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10... operation device, 15... display unit, 16... input unit, 17... stop button, 22... display processing unit, 24... stop processing unit, 92... robot

Claims

1. A display unit; an input unit having a stop button displayed on the display unit and receiving an operation input from an operator; a display processing unit that executes a display process to display the stop button on the display unit; a stop processing unit that executes a stop process to stop the robot based on software processing when the stop button is operated, the display processing includes processing for activating a screen saver and displaying a screen saver screen on the display unit when the input unit does not accept an input for a predetermined time, and processing for displaying the stop button in an enabled state on the screen saver screen. Robot operating device.

2. the display process includes a process of changing a display mode of the stop button displayed on the screen saver screen from a display mode of the stop button displayed on the screen before the screen saver is started. The robot operating device according to claim 1 .

3. the display process includes a process of changing a display color of the stop button on the screen saver screen at predetermined time intervals. The robot operating device according to claim 2 .

4. the display process includes a process of changing the brightness of the stop button on the screen saver screen at predetermined time intervals. The robot operating device according to claim 2 .

5. the display process includes a process of changing a display size of the stop button on the screen saver screen at predetermined time intervals. The robot operating device according to claim 2 .

6. the display process includes a process of changing a display position of the stop button on the screen saver screen at predetermined time intervals. The robot operating device according to claim 2 .

7. further comprising an enable switch and an emergency stop switch configured as physical switches that stop the robot in priority to the stop process; The robot operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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