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 that displays information; a display processing unit that executes display processing for controlling contents displays by the display unit; a stop processing unit that executes stop processing for stopping the robot on the basis of software processing; and a screen creation processing unit that executes screen creation processing for creating a user-setting screen which is displayed on the display unit, on which a user can set display items. The screen creation processing includes processing in which a stop button for the user to execute the stop processing is included in an arbitrary display item set on the user-setting screen.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 that displays information, an input unit that accepts operational input from an operator, a stop processing unit that executes a stop process to stop the robot based on software processing, and an abnormality monitoring unit that monitors occurrence of an abnormality in the display unit or the input unit. The stop processing unit executes the stop process when the abnormality monitoring unit detects occurrence of an abnormality in the display unit or the input unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an example of a robot operation device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of an example of a robot operating device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a screen creation process for creating a user setting screen is executed for an example of a robot operation device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of authority set in the operation device and whether or not a stop button can be set on a user setting screen, for an example of an operation device for a robot according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a screen creation process for creating a user setting screen is executed for an example of a robot operation device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of a screen when a screen creation process for creating a user setting screen is executed for an example of a robot operation device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An example in which the robot manipulation device of the present disclosure is applied to a teaching device such as a teaching pendant will be described with reference to the drawings. The manipulation device 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is communicably connected to a robot controller 91, and manipulates the movement of a robot 92 via the robot controller 91. The robot 92 is the object to be manipulated by the manipulation device 10, and is envisioned to be an industrial robot, such as a vertically articulated robot, a horizontally articulated robot, or a parallel link robot.

[0009] 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.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1 , the operation device 10 includes a housing 11, a power switch 12, physical buttons 13, an emergency stop switch 14, an enable switch 15, a display unit 16, and an input unit 17. The housing 11 is configured to be sized so that an operator can hold it in his / her hand. The power switch 12 is used to turn the power of the operation device 10 on and off. When the power switch 12 is operated to turn on the power, the operation device 10 executes a process to safely start up the operation device 10. When the power switch 12 is operated to turn off the power, the operation device 10 executes a process to safely shut down the operation device 10. The physical buttons 13 are made up of a plurality of physical buttons that receive input operations from the operator.

[0011] The emergency stop switch 14 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.

[0012] The emergency stop switch 14 is configured, for example, by an electromechanical switch having normally closed physical contacts. Each contact of the emergency stop switch 14 is connected to the safety system control device 912. When the emergency stop switch 14 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 14 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 14 takes priority over all other functions. In other words, the emergency stop switch 14 plays a role in reliably stopping the robot 92 in an emergency.

[0013] The enable switch 15 is used to stop the robot 92 in either stop category 0, 1, or 2 according to the IEC 60204-1 standard, and enables the execution of functions when operated continuously. The enable switch 15 is provided, for example, on the back side of the housing 11. The enable switch 15 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 15 intentionally. In other words, the enable switch 15 serves as an interlock to prevent accidents due to operator operation errors.

[0014] The enable switch 15 is configured as an electromechanical switch such as a three-position switch. In this case, the enable switch 15 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 15 is turned on, and prohibits, i.e., stops, manual operation of the robot 92 when the enable switch 15 is turned off. Note that the execution of other functions can be permitted or prohibited depending on the operation of the enable switch 15. Furthermore, a configuration may be provided in which multiple enable switches 15 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.

[0015] The display unit 16 is a user interface capable of displaying images, etc., and can be configured, for example, by a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, etc. The input unit 17 is a user interface that receives operational input from the user in response to information displayed on the display unit 16, and can be configured, for example, by a mouse, a keyboard, or a touch panel, etc. The input unit 17 includes at least a pointing device or a touch device that can specify a specific position on the screen displayed on the display unit 16.

[0016] When a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display is used as the display unit 16 and a touch panel is used as the input unit 17, the display unit 16 and the input unit 17 can be configured as an integrated touch panel display. The display unit 16 can also be configured as a wearable display that is worn on the worker's head, for example. In this case, the input unit 17 can be configured to detect the operation input by the worker based on the movement of the worker's fingers wearing the display unit 16 or the movement of a pointing device used by the worker. In this configuration, the worker inputs an operation to the input unit 17 by virtually touching, for example, an icon displayed on the display unit 16 with the worker's fingers or a pointing device.

[0017] 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 stop processing unit 23, and a screen creation 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 16 and the input unit 17 operate under the control of the control unit 20.

[0018] The control unit 20 executes a computer program in the CPU 201, thereby virtually realizing the input processing unit 21, the display processing unit 22, the stop processing unit 23, the screen creation processing unit 24, and the like by software. Note that the input processing unit 21, the display processing unit 22, the stop processing unit 23, and the screen creation 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.

[0019] 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 17, 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.

[0020] The stop processing unit 23 executes stop processing to stop the robot 92 based on software processing. Here, "based on software processing" means that the operation by the operator does not directly cause the robot 92 to stop, as in the case of the electromechanically configured emergency stop switch 14, but rather the operation by the operator goes through software processing in the CPU 201 and the stop processing is executed by an instruction from the CPU 201. The stop processing is processing to stop the operation of the robot 92 in stop category 0 or 1 according to the IEC 60204-1 standard.

[0021] In this embodiment, the stop processing by the stop processing unit 23 is assumed to be configured such that an instruction to stop the robot 92 is output from the stop processing unit 23 to the robot controller 91. In this case, the safety system control device 912 stops the robot 92 when it receives the instruction to stop from the stop processing unit 23.

[0022] It is also possible to configure the robot 92 such that a normally closed switch connected to the safety system controller 912 is provided inside the housing 11. In this configuration, when the stop processing unit 23 executes the stop processing, it turns off the switch provided inside the housing 11 in response to an instruction from the CPU 201. Then, the safety system controller 912 stops the robot 92 based on the fact that the switch has been turned off. This makes it possible to realize the stop processing of the robot 92 in the same manner as the emergency stop switch 14.

[0023] The display processing unit 22 executes a display process that controls the display content of the display unit 16. The display process includes, for example, a process of displaying on the display unit 16 figures and numerical values ​​indicating the posture of the robot 92, various setting information and input information, etc., according to the operating status of the robot 92. The display process also includes, for example, a process of displaying on the display unit 16 a stop button 30 that is operated to execute a stop process, as shown in Fig. 1. When the stop button 30 displayed on the display unit 16 is operated by the worker, the stop processing unit 23 executes the stop process that stops the robot 92 in accordance with a stop category that has been set in advance for the stop process.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3 , the screen creation processing unit 24 can execute a screen creation process to create a user setting screen 40. A user can create the user setting screen 40 by, for example, operating the operation device 10 to execute the screen creation process. The user setting screen 40 is a screen displayed on the display unit 16, and is a screen created by a user, i.e., an operator, by arranging any display items in any positions. Examples of display items include, but are not limited to, a button 421 for manually operating the robot 92 and a display window 422 for displaying the angles of each axis of the robot 92. In this embodiment, the stop button 30 is also included in the display items that can be set on the user setting screen 40.

[0025] The user setting screen 40 has a setting area 411 and an unusable area 412. The setting area 411 is an area of ​​the user setting screen 40 where the user can set display items. The user can create the user setting screen 40 by, for example, selecting any setting item and placing the selected setting item at any position within the setting area 411. The unusable area 412 is an area of ​​the user setting screen 40 where the user cannot set display items. The unusable area 412 can be, for example, an area of ​​the display unit 16 other than the setting area 411. The user cannot place the selected setting item in the unusable area 412. In the unusable area 412, for example, a preset button 431 or a display window 432 is displayed.

[0026] The screen creation process includes processing for making the stop button 30 an optional item on the user setting screen 40. For example, the screen creation processing unit 24 can create a user setting screen 40 that includes the stop button 30, or can create a user setting screen 40 that does not include the stop button 30.

[0027] As described above, the operating device 10 of the embodiment includes the display unit 16, the display processing unit 22, and the stop processing unit 23. The display unit 16 displays various information. The display processing unit 22 executes display processing to control the display content of the display unit 16. The stop processing unit 23 executes stop processing to stop the robot 92 based on software processing. This allows the operation of the robot 92 to be stopped in a manner different from that of the emergency stop switch 14 or the enable switch 15.

[0028] The operation device 10 also includes a screen creation processing unit 24. The screen creation processing unit 24 executes a screen creation process to create a user setting screen 40, which is a screen displayed on the display unit 16 and allows the user to set display items. The screen creation process includes a process to set a stop button 30, which allows the user to execute a stop process, as an arbitrary display item on the user setting screen 40.

[0029] According to this, when creating the user setting screen 40, the stop button 30 can be created for users who require the stop button 30, and the stop button 30 does not need to be created for users who do not require the stop button 30. This improves the user's convenience regarding the stop button 30. Furthermore, by not providing the stop button 30 on the user setting screen 40, a larger area can be secured for the user setting screen 40, which can be used to display other buttons and information.

[0030] The operation device 10 can register multiple users with different privileges. The users and their privileges are stored in the operation device 10, linked to, for example, a user ID. The operation device 10 can set "administrator" and "general" as privileges, as shown in FIG. 4, for example. The "administrator" has stronger privileges than the "general." In other words, the "administrator" has a wider range of operations than the "general." In addition, each user ID is linked to a user setting screen 40 created with that user ID. In other words, a user setting screen 40 created with a certain user ID may not be selectable with another user ID.

[0031] Here, the user who creates the user setting screen 40 does not necessarily have sufficient knowledge of operating a robot. Therefore, if the stop button 30, which is easier to operate than a mechanical switch, is displayed on the user setting screen 40, the possibility of an erroneous operation increases.

[0032] Therefore, the screen creation process may include processing for making the stop button 30 a required display item or an optional display item depending on the authority of the user who uses the operation device 10. In this case, the screen creation process includes processing for making the stop button 30 a configurable, i.e., optional, display item for, for example, an "administrator" with strong authority. On the other hand, the screen creation process includes processing for making the stop button 30 unconfigurable for, for example, a "general" user with weaker authority than the "administrator." In other words, a user with "administrator" authority can place the stop button 30 on the user setting screen 40, but a user with "general" authority cannot place the stop button 30 on the user setting screen 40.

[0033] According to this, a user who has sufficient knowledge of operating a robot, for example, a user with "administrator" authority, can arbitrarily set the stop button 30 when creating the user setting screen 40. In contrast, a user who is unfamiliar with operating a robot, for example, a user with "general" authority, cannot arbitrarily set the stop button 30 when creating the user setting screen 40. This prevents a user who is unfamiliar with operating a robot from carelessly setting the stop button 30 on the user setting screen 40, and as a result, the possibility of operating the stop button 30 by mistake can be reduced.

[0034] 5, the screen creation process may include processing for placing the stop button 30 in the unusable area 412. The screen creation process may also include processing for always placing the stop button 30 in the unusable area 412 of the user setting screen 40. This eliminates the need for the user to intentionally place the stop button 30 when creating the user setting screen 40. Furthermore, if the stop button 30 is not placed in the setting area 411, the setting area 411 can be made wider, allowing other buttons 423 and display windows 424 to be placed therein. As a result, the user setting screen 40 can be made easier for the user to use.

[0035] 6, when the stop button 30 is set in the unusable area 412, the screen creation process may include a process of placing an additional button 50 having the same function as the stop button 30 in the setting area 411 in a manner that is more noticeable than the stop button 30. Examples of a manner that is more noticeable than the stop button 30 include, but are not limited to, displaying the additional button 50 larger than the stop button 30, displaying it brighter, or displaying it in a flashing manner.

[0036] This allows the additional button 50, which is more noticeable and easier to recognize than the stop button 30, to be placed in the setting area 411. Therefore, for example, a user who is unfamiliar with operating a robot can create and use a user setting screen 40 in which the additional button 50 is placed in the setting area 411, and more easily handle the additional button 50, which has the same function as the stop button 30. As a result, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation of the stop button 30 or the additional button 50, i.e., to prevent the robot 92 from being stopped by mistake.

[0037] Although not shown in detail, the stop button 30 may be displayed on the selection screen 43 or on a screen on which a user setting screen is created by executing the screen creation process.

[0038] 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]

[0039] 10...operation device, 16...display unit, 22...display processing unit, 23...stop processing unit, 24...screen creation processing unit, 30...stop button, 40...user setting screen, 411...setting area, 412...unavailable area, 50...add button, 92...robot

Claims

1. a display unit that displays information; a display processing unit that executes a display process to control the display content of the display unit; a stop processing unit that executes a stop process to stop the robot based on software processing; a screen creation processing unit that executes a screen creation process to create a user setting screen that is displayed on the display unit and allows a user to set display items; the screen creation process includes a process of setting a stop button for a user to execute the stop process as an arbitrary display item on the user setting screen. Robot operating device.

2. the screen creation process includes a process of setting the stop button as either a required display item or an optional display item depending on a user's authority. The robot operating device according to claim 1 .

3. the user setting screen has a setting area in which a user can set display items and an unsettable area in which a user cannot set display items, the screen creation process includes a process of placing the stop button in the unusable area. The robot operating device according to claim 1 .

4. the screen creation process includes, when the stop button is set in the unusable area, a process of placing an additional button having the same function as the stop button in the setting area in a more noticeable manner than the stop button. The robot operating device according to claim 3 .

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