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 displayed by the display unit; and a stop processing unit that executes stop processing for stopping the robot on the basis of software processing. The display processing includes processing in which a stop button which receives operation for making the stop processing unit execute the stop processing is displayed on the display unit, which enables the stop button to be displayed in an identical mode, even when the button is displayed, with only one color of a red color, a green color and a blue color of light's three primary colors, on the display unit.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 operation device according to an embodiment includes a display unit that displays information, a display processing unit that executes display processing to control the display content of the display unit, and a stop processing unit that executes stop processing to stop the robot based on software processing. The display processing includes processing to display a stop button on the display unit that receives an operation for executing the stop processing, and processing to display the stop button in a manner that allows it to be identified even when the display unit displays only one of the three primary colors of light, red, green, or blue. [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] 1A is a table showing the color codes of each element of the emergency stop button displayed on the display unit of an example of a robot operating device according to an embodiment, and (Normal) is a diagram showing an example of the emergency stop button displayed on the display unit when the display unit is operating normally. [Figure 4] Regarding an example of a robot operating device according to an embodiment, (A) is a table showing the color codes of each element of the emergency stop button displayed on the display unit when only red of the three primary colors of light is functioning, (Normal) is a diagram showing an example of the emergency stop button displayed on the display unit when the display unit is operating normally, and (Only red functioning) is a diagram showing an example of the emergency stop button displayed on the display unit when only red of the three primary colors of light is functioning. [Figure 5] Regarding an example of a robot operating device according to an embodiment, (A) is a table showing the color codes of each element of the emergency stop button displayed on the display unit when only green of the three primary colors of light is functioning, (Normal) is a diagram showing an example of the emergency stop button displayed on the display unit when the display unit is operating normally, and (Only green functioning) is a diagram showing an example of the emergency stop button displayed on the display unit when only green of the three primary colors of light is functioning. [Figure 6]Regarding an example of a robot operating device according to an embodiment, (A) is a table showing the color codes of each element of the emergency stop button displayed on the display unit when only blue of the three primary colors of light is functioning, (Normal) is a diagram showing an example of the emergency stop button displayed on the display unit when the display unit is operating normally, and (Only blue functioning) is a diagram showing an example of the emergency stop button displayed on the display unit when only blue of the three primary colors of light is functioning. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a normal stop button that is displayed on the display unit when the display unit is operating normally, in an example of a robot manipulation device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] In an example of a robot operating device according to an embodiment, (only red functions) is a diagram showing an example of a normal stop button that is displayed on the display unit when only red of the three primary colors of light is functioning, (only green functions) is a diagram showing an example of a normal stop button that is displayed on the display unit when only green of the three primary colors of light is functioning, and (only blue functions) is a diagram showing an example of a normal stop button that is displayed on the display unit when only blue of the three primary colors of light is functioning. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a case where the outline of an emergency stop button displayed on a display unit is switched between red, green, and blue in this order in an example of a robot operating device according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a case where the outline of a normal stop button displayed on a display unit is switched between red, green, and blue in this order in an example of a robot operating device according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] In an example of an operating device for a robot according to an embodiment, the outline of an emergency stop button or a normal stop button displayed on a display unit is shown in (1) a case where the outline is configured with a gradation of red, green, and blue, and (2) a case where the outline is arranged in repeated colors of red, green, and blue. 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 stop processing unit 22, and a display processing unit 23. 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 virtually realizes the input processing unit 21, the display processing unit 23, the stop processing unit 22, etc. by software by executing a computer program in the CPU 201. Note that the input processing unit 21, the display processing unit 23, and the stop processing unit 22 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 22 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 22 is assumed to be configured such that an instruction to stop the robot 92 is output from the stop processing unit 22 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 22.

[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 22 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 23 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 stop buttons 301 and 302 that are operated to execute a stop process, as shown in Figures 3 to 10. When the stop buttons 301 and 302 displayed on the display unit 16 are operated by the operator, the stop processing unit 22 executes a stop process that stops the robot 92 in accordance with a stop category that has been set in advance for the stop process.

[0024] The stop button 301 shown in Fig. 3 (normal state) is displayed, for example, with the word "STOP" 31 surrounded by a circle 32, and the circle 32 further surrounded by a rectangle 33. The stop button 301 in Fig. 3 is used when the stop processing unit 22 is used as an emergency stop device that performs an emergency stop of the robot 92, that is, it is a stop button for performing an emergency stop. When the stop button 301 is used as an emergency stop button, the display processing unit 23 must display the stop button 301 in red in accordance with the ISO13850 standard.

[0025] In this case, the display processing unit 23 fills in the inside of the circle 32 of the stop button 301 with red except for the characters 31, and fills in the inside of the rectangle 33 that forms the background of the circle 32 with yellow. In the following description, the stop button 301 in the case where the stop processing unit 22 is an emergency stop device that performs an emergency stop of the robot 92 may be referred to as the emergency stop button 301.

[0026] Here, each table in Fig. 3 to Fig. 6A is a color code based on the three primary colors of light that make up the colors of the stop button 301. In these color codes, the minimum brightness of the color is 0, and the maximum brightness is 255. In this case, Fig. 3A shows the color code of the stop button 301 when the display unit 16 is normal, that is, when red, green, and blue are normally displayed.

[0027] Furthermore, each table in Figures 4 to 6(A) shows how the color code in Figure 3(A) changes when only one of the three primary colors of light, red, green, and blue, is displayed due to a malfunction or other reason in the display unit 16. In this case, the colors listed in the "Color" column in each of Figures 4 to 6(A) on the left side show the original colors, that is, the colors when the three colors red, green, and blue are displayed normally, and the colors on the right side show the colors after the change, that is, the colors displayed in the event of a malfunction.

[0028] For example, in the color code of Figure 4(A), "255 → 0" in the "G (green)" column means that the green color is no longer displayed and the color code has changed from the maximum value of "255" to the minimum value of "0." Also, in the color code of Figure 4(A), for example, "green → black" in the "Color" column means that the green color has stopped functioning, and the part that would normally be displayed in green is now displayed in black.

[0029] FIG. 4A shows a case where green and blue are no longer displayed, i.e., only red is displayed. In this case, green and blue are displayed as black, and white and yellow are displayed as red. FIG. 5A shows a case where red and blue are no longer displayed, i.e., only green is displayed. In this case, red and blue are displayed as black, and white and yellow are displayed as green. FIG. 6A shows a case where red and green are no longer displayed, i.e., only blue is displayed. In this case, red, green, and yellow are displayed as black, and white is displayed as blue.

[0030] For example, in the case of the stop button 301 in FIG. 3, if the red color inside the circle 32 and the yellow color behind the circle 32 are adjacent to each other, the yellow color will change to red when only red is displayed, and the red and yellow color will change to black when only blue is displayed. Therefore, the outline L of the circle 32 will become unrecognizable when a color other than the currently displayable color is displayed, and the visibility of the stop button 301 will decrease.

[0031] Therefore, the display process includes a process of displaying the boundary lines L of the elements that make up the stop button 301, i.e., the outline L of the figures, characters, symbols, etc. that make up the stop button 301, in a manner in which white and black are adjacent to each other, as shown in Fig. 3. Note that although the outline L in Fig. 3 etc. is shown as a black line placed inside a white line, it may also be configured so that a white line is placed inside a black line.

[0032] In this configuration, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, if the display unit 16 malfunctions and displays only red, the stop button 301 is displayed in a state shown in FIG. 4 (normal) as shown in (red only functions). In this case, the white color of the stop button 301 shown in (red only functions) under normal conditions is displayed in red, but the black color remains displayed in black. As a result, the rectangle 33, circle 32, and outline L of the character 31 that constitute the stop button 301 are displayed in black against a red background. As a result, the operator can see the stop button 301 even when the display unit 16 only displays red.

[0033] Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, if the display unit 16 malfunctions and only displays green, the stop button 301 is displayed in a state shown in FIG. 5 (only green functions) instead of the state shown in (normal). In this case, the stop button 301 shown in (only green functions) is displayed in black, although the white and yellow colors that normally appear in green are displayed in green. In this case, the circle 32 is displayed in a color different from the rectangle 33 that forms the background of the circle 32, and the text 31 is also displayed in a color different from the circle 32 that forms the background of the text 31. The rectangle 33, circle 32, and text 31 that make up the stop button 301 are all displayed so that they can be seen. As a result, even if the display unit 16 only functions in green, the worker can see the stop button 301.

[0034] 6, if the display unit 16 malfunctions and displays only blue, the stop button 301 is displayed in a state shown in FIG. 6 (only blue functions) instead of the state shown in (normal). In this case, of the stop button 301 shown in (only blue functions), the red and yellow colors in normal operation are displayed in black, but the white color is displayed in blue. In this case, the characters 31, circle 32, and rectangle 33 are displayed with a blue outline L on a black background, so that the rectangle 33, circle 32, and characters 31 constituting the stop button 301 are all displayed visibly. As a result, even when the display unit 16 only displays blue, the operator can see the stop button 301.

[0035] In this way, when the stop button 301 is displayed in accordance with the ISO13850 standard, by displaying the contour line L in a manner in which white and black are adjacent to each other, the stop button 301 can be displayed so as to be visible even if the display unit 16 malfunctions and only one of the three primary colors of light is displayed.

[0036] The above technical idea can also be applied to a stop button 302 for performing a normal stop in accordance with the IEC 60204-1 standard, as shown in Fig. 7. The stop button 302 shown in Fig. 7 is a stop button for performing a normal stop when the stop processing unit 22 is configured as a stopping device for performing a normal stop rather than an emergency stop of the robot 92. In the following description, the stop button 302 when the stop processing unit 22 is configured as a normal stopping device for performing a normal stop of the robot 92 may be referred to as the normal stop button 302. In accordance with the IEC 60204-1 standard, the recommended color for the normal stop button 302 is black or gray.

[0037] In this case, the display processing unit 23 fills in the inside of the circle 32 of the stop button 302, except for the characters 31, in black, and fills in the inside of the square 33 that forms the background of the circle 32 and the inside of the characters 31 in white.

[0038] In this configuration, when only red is displayed, the circle 32 and the outline L of the letters 31 are displayed in red, as shown in Fig. 8 (red-only function). When only green is displayed, the circle 32 and the outline L of the letters 31 are displayed in green, as shown in Fig. 8 (green-only function). When only blue is displayed, the circle 32 and the outline L of the letters 31 are displayed in blue, as shown in Fig. 8 (blue-only function). In this way, even if the display unit 16 malfunctions and only one of the three primary colors of light is displayed, the stop button 302 can be displayed in a visible manner.

[0039] As described above, the operating device 10 according to this embodiment includes the display unit 16 that displays information, the display processing unit 23 that executes display processing to control the display content of the display unit 16, and the stop processing unit 22 that executes stop processing to stop the robot 92 based on software processing. As such, the robot 92 can also be stopped by the stop processing, so that the operation of the robot 92 can be stopped by a method different from the conventional method such as an emergency stop switch or an enable switch.

[0040] Here, the display process executes a display process for displaying stop buttons 301 and 302, which are operated to execute the stop process, on the display unit 16. The display process also includes a process for displaying the stop buttons 301 and 302 in a distinguishable manner even when only one of the three primary colors of light, red, green, or blue, is displayed on the display unit 16.

[0041] According to this, even if the display unit 16 breaks down and only one of red, green, and blue colors is displayed, the worker can still recognize the stop buttons 301 and 302, and can therefore reliably operate the stop buttons 301 and 302.

[0042] For example, the display process includes a process of displaying the elements constituting the stop buttons 301 and 302, in this case the rectangle 33, the circle 32, and the outline L of the characters 31, in a manner in which white and black are adjacent to each other. This allows the elements constituting the stop buttons 301 and 302, in this case the rectangle 33, the circle 32, and the outline L of the characters 31, to be displayed in black, green, or blue, even if the display unit 16 malfunctions and only one of red, green, and blue is displayed. This allows the operator to reliably recognize the stop buttons 301 and 302, and as a result, the stop buttons 301 and 302 can be reliably operated even when the display unit 16 malfunctions.

[0043] The display process may include a process of switching the display of the rectangle 33, circle 32, and outline L of character 31, which are elements constituting the stop buttons 301 and 302, to one color selected from red, green, and blue at predetermined time intervals, as shown in Figures 9 and 10.

[0044] The stop button 301 in Fig. 9 is an emergency stop button conforming to the ISO 13850 standard. The stop button 302 in Fig. 10 is a normal stop button conforming to the IEC 60204-1 standard. In these cases, the display process includes a process of displaying the rectangle 33, circle 32, and outline L of the character 31 in the order of red, green, and blue at predetermined intervals, i.e., by rotating them, as shown in (1) to (3) in Fig. 9 or 10.

[0045] According to this, if the display unit 16 is unable to display any one of red, green, and blue due to a malfunction or the like, the remaining colors among red, green, and blue will be displayed in black. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, if the stop button 301 conforms to the ISO 13850 standard, the contour lines L of the elements 31 to 33 of the stop button 301 will be displayed in black at the timing when a color other than the currently displayable colors is displayed. For example, if only red is displayed, the contour lines L will be displayed in black against a red background at the timing when the contour lines L would normally be displayed in green and blue. This allows the operator to reliably recognize the stop button 301.

[0046] Furthermore, if only one of the three colors red, green, and blue is displayed due to a malfunction of the display unit 16 or the like, the stop button 302 conforming to the IEC 60204-1 standard will display the outline L in the currently functioning color, as shown in Fig. 10. For example, if only red is displayed, the red outline L will be displayed against a black background at the timing when the outline L would normally be displayed in red. In this way, the operator can reliably recognize the stop buttons 301 and 302.

[0047] The display process may also include a process of displaying the contour lines L of each element 31, 32, 33 constituting the stop buttons 301, 302 in a gradation having red, green, and blue as shown in FIG. 11(1), or in a manner in which red, green, and blue are repeatedly arranged at predetermined intervals as shown in FIG. 11(2).

[0048] Even if the display unit 16 malfunctions and only one of red R, green G, and blue B is displayed, the outline L of the stop buttons 301 and 302 is still visible to the operator.

[0049] 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]

[0050] 10...Operation device, 14...Emergency stop switch, 15...Enable switch, 16...Display unit, 22...Stop processing unit, 23...Display processing unit, 301, 302...Stop button, 31...Element, character, 32...Element, circle, 33...Element, rectangle, 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, The display process is a process of displaying a stop button on the display unit, which is operated to execute the stop process, and includes a process of displaying the stop button in a manner that allows it to be identified even when only one of red, green, and blue of the three primary colors of light is displayed on the display unit. Robot operating device.

2. the display process includes a process of displaying the outline of the element constituting the stop button in a manner in which white and black are adjacent to each other; The robot operating device according to claim 1 .

3. the display process includes a process of switching the outline of the element constituting the stop button between a color selected from red, green, and blue at predetermined time intervals, and displaying the outline. The robot operating device according to claim 1 .

4. the display process includes a process of displaying the outline of the element constituting the stop button in a gradation having red, green, and blue, or in a manner in which red, green, and blue are repeatedly arranged at predetermined intervals, The robot operating device according to claim 1 .

5. further comprising an enable switch and an emergency stop switch, each of which is a physical switch that stops the robot in priority to the stop process; The robot operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images