Information processing apparatus, robot system, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide an information processor, a robot system, and an information processing method capable of accurately and quickly storing first specific operation information and second specific operation information corresponding to trigger conditions in a second memory even when the trigger conditions frequently occur in a short time.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprising: a first memory; a determination unit configured to determine whether or not a predetermined trigger condition has occurred; a writing unit; and a third memory, wherein the writing unit sequentially performs writing of first specified operation information to the second memory and writing of second specified operation information stored in the third memory to the second memory.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a robot system, and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, due to rising labor costs and labor shortages in factories, automation of tasks that have been performed manually using various robots and their peripheral devices has been accelerating. For such robots, it is known that a robot device such as that shown in Patent Document 1 is used to store the robot's operation information. This makes it possible to analyze the robot's operation information when an error occurs and identify the cause and extent of the error.

[0003] The information processing device described in Patent Document 1 has a temporary data recording unit that records operation information for a certain period of time in real time, a determination unit that determines whether an error has occurred, and a trigger-time data recording unit that, when the determination unit determines that an error has occurred, extracts and records operation information corresponding to the error from the operation information recorded in the temporary data recording unit. The temporary data recording unit is composed of a ring buffer, and temporarily records the operation information, erases the operation information after a predetermined period of time, and records new operation information.

[0004] In the information processing device described in Patent Document 1, if multiple errors, for example, two errors, occur at different times, the operating information for the second error is written to the trigger-time data recording unit after the operating information for the first error has been written to the trigger-time data recording unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-163474 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in Patent Document 1, the temporary data recording unit is configured as a ring buffer, so data is erased after a certain period of time has passed. Therefore, if a second error occurs while operation information related to a first error is being written to the trigger-time data recording unit, there is a risk that the operation information related to the first error will be erased before writing of the operation information related to the first error to the trigger-time data recording unit is complete. Thus, in Patent Document 1, if errors occur frequently within a short period of time, there is a risk that operation information related to each error will not be properly recorded. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The information processing device of the present invention includes a first memory that stores operational information for a certain period of time in real time when a robot having a robot arm is operating; a determination unit that determines whether a predetermined trigger condition occurs; a writing unit that, when the determining unit determines that the trigger condition has occurred, extracts first specific operation information corresponding to a cause of the occurrence of the trigger condition from the operation information stored in the first memory and writes the first specific operation information into a second memory; a third memory for storing second specified operation information extracted by the writing unit from the operation information, the second specified operation information corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of the separate trigger condition, when the determining unit determines that a separate trigger condition has occurred before the writing unit finishes writing the first specified operation information to the second memory; The writing unit sequentially writes the first specified operation information to the second memory and writes the second specified operation information stored in the third memory to the second memory.

[0008] The robot system of the present invention includes: a robot having a robot arm; an information processing device that processes operation information of the robot, The information processing device includes a first memory that stores the operation information in real time for a certain period of time; a determination unit that determines whether a predetermined trigger condition occurs; a writing unit that, when the determining unit determines that the trigger condition has occurred, extracts first specific operation information corresponding to a cause of the occurrence of the trigger condition from the operation information stored in the first memory and writes the first specific operation information into a second memory; a third memory for storing second specified operation information extracted by the writing unit from the operation information, the second specified operation information corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of the separate trigger condition, when the determining unit determines that a separate trigger condition has occurred before the writing unit finishes writing the first specified operation information to the second memory; The writing unit sequentially writes the first specified operation information to the second memory and writes the second specified operation information stored in the third memory to the second memory.

[0009] The information processing method of the present invention includes a first step of writing operation information into a first memory that stores operation information for a certain period of time in real time when a robot having a robot arm is operating; a second step of determining whether a predetermined trigger condition has occurred; a third step of writing, into a second memory, first specific operation information, among the operation information stored in the first memory, that corresponds to a cause of occurrence of the trigger condition, when it is determined in the second step that the trigger condition has occurred; a fourth step of extracting second specified operation information corresponding to a cause of the occurrence of the separate trigger condition from the operation information and storing the second specified operation information in a third memory when a separate trigger condition occurs before the writing of the first specified operation information into the second memory in the third step is completed; and a fifth step of writing the second specific operation information stored in the third memory into the second memory. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the robot system shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an information processing device included in the robot system shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the operating information is being written to the first memory in the information processing device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which, when a trigger condition occurs in an information processing device, the first specific operation information stored in the first memory is written to the second memory. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which, when a trigger condition occurs in an information processing device, the second specific operation information stored in the first memory is written to the third memory. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the second specific operation information stored in the third memory is being written to the second memory in the information processing device. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an information processing device and an information processing method according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] <Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the robot system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an information processing device included in the robot system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which operation information is written to a first memory in the information processing device. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which first specific operation information stored in the first memory is written to a second memory in the information processing device when a trigger condition occurs. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which second specific operation information stored in the first memory is written to a third memory in the information processing device when a trigger condition occurs. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which second specific operation information stored in the third memory is written to the second memory in the information processing device. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an information processing device and an information processing method according to the present invention.

[0012] The information processing device, robot system, and information processing method of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. For ease of explanation, the robot arm will be referred to hereinafter as having a base 11 side in FIG. 1 as the "base end" and an opposite side, i.e., the end effector 20 side as the "tip end."

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the robot system 100 includes a robot 1, an information processing device 3 that processes operation information of the robot 1, and a teaching device 4.

[0014] First, the robot 1 will be described. 1 is a single-arm, six-axis, vertically articulated robot in this embodiment, and includes a base 11 and a robot arm 10. An end effector 20 can be attached to the tip of the robot arm 10. The end effector 20 may or may not be a component of the robot 1.

[0015] The robot 1 is not limited to the configuration shown in the figure, and may be, for example, a double-arm articulated robot or a horizontal articulated robot.

[0016] The base 11 is a support that drivably supports the robot arm 10 from below in Fig. 1, and is fixed to, for example, the floor of a factory. The base 11 of the robot 1 is electrically connected to the information processing device 3 via a relay cable. Note that the connection between the robot 1 and the information processing device 3 is not limited to a wired connection as in the configuration shown in Fig. 1, and may be, for example, a wireless connection, or may be a connection via a network such as the Internet.

[0017] In this embodiment, the robot arm 10 has a first arm 12, a second arm 13, a third arm 14, a fourth arm 15, a fifth arm 16, and a sixth arm 17, which are connected in this order from the base 11 side. The number of arms that the robot arm 10 has is not limited to six, and may be, for example, one, two, three, four, five, or seven or more. The size of each arm, such as its overall length, is not particularly limited and can be set as appropriate.

[0018] The base 11 and the first arm 12 are connected via a joint 171. The first arm 12 is rotatable around a first rotation axis that is parallel to the vertical direction relative to the base 11. The first rotation axis coincides with the normal to the floor to which the base 11 is fixed.

[0019] The first arm 12 and the second arm 13 are connected via a joint 172. The second arm 13 is rotatable relative to the first arm 12 about a second rotation axis parallel to the horizontal direction. The second rotation axis is parallel to an axis perpendicular to the first rotation axis.

[0020] The second arm 13 and the third arm 14 are connected via a joint 173. The third arm 14 is rotatable about a third rotation axis that is parallel to the horizontal direction relative to the second arm 13. The third rotation axis is parallel to the second rotation axis.

[0021] The third arm 14 and the fourth arm 15 are connected via a joint 174. The fourth arm 15 is rotatable relative to the third arm 14 around a fourth rotation axis that is parallel to the central axis of the third arm 14. The fourth rotation axis is perpendicular to the third rotation axis.

[0022] The fourth arm 15 and the fifth arm 16 are connected via a joint 175. The fifth arm 16 is rotatable relative to the fourth arm 15 around a fifth rotation axis. The fifth rotation axis is perpendicular to the fourth rotation axis.

[0023] The fifth arm 16 and the sixth arm 17 are connected via a joint 176. The sixth arm 17 is rotatable around a sixth rotation axis relative to the fifth arm 16. The sixth rotation axis is perpendicular to the fifth rotation axis.

[0024] The sixth arm 17 is the robot tip located at the most distal end of the robot arm 10. The sixth arm 17 can be rotated together with the end effector 20 by being driven by the robot arm 10.

[0025] The robot 1 includes motors M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, and M6 as drive units, and encoders E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, and E6. Motor M1 is built into joint 171 and rotates the base 11 and the first arm 12 relative to each other. Motor M2 is built into joint 172 and rotates the first arm 12 and the second arm 13 relative to each other. Motor M3 is built into joint 173 and rotates the second arm 13 and the third arm 14 relative to each other. Motor M4 is built into joint 174 and rotates the third arm 14 and the fourth arm 15 relative to each other. Motor M5 is built into joint 175 and rotates the fourth arm 15 and the fifth arm 16 relative to each other. The motor M6 is built into the joint 176 and rotates the fifth arm 16 and the sixth arm 17 relative to each other.

[0026] Additionally, encoder E1 is built into joint 171 and detects the position of motor M1. Encoder E2 is built into joint 172 and detects the position of motor M2. Encoder E3 is built into joint 173 and detects the position of motor M3. Encoder E4 is built into joint 174 and detects the position of motor M4. Encoder E5 is built into fifth arm 16 and detects the position of motor M5. Encoder E6 is built into sixth arm 17 and detects the position of motor M6.

[0027] Encoders E1 to E6 are electrically connected to the information processing device 3, and transmit position information of motors M1 to M6, i.e., the amount of rotation, as electrical signals to the information processing device 3. Then, based on this information, the information processing device 3 drives motors M1 to M6 via motor drivers D1 to D6. In other words, controlling the robot arm 10 means controlling motors M1 to M6.

[0028] Furthermore, in the robot 1, a force detection unit 19 that detects stress applied to the robot arm 10 is installed at the tip of the robot arm 10. The robot arm 10 can be driven with the force detection unit 19 installed. In this embodiment, the force detection unit 19 is a six-axis force sensor. That is, the force detection unit 19 is a torque sensor that detects the magnitude of force on three mutually orthogonal detection axes and the magnitude of torque around the three detection axes. Furthermore, the force detection unit 19 is not limited to a six-axis force sensor, and may have another configuration.

[0029] An end effector 20 can be detachably attached to the force detection unit 19. In this embodiment, the end effector 20 is configured as a hand having a pair of claws that can move toward and away from each other and that grip and release a workpiece with each claw. Note that the end effector 20 is not limited to the configuration shown in the figure and may also be a hand that grips a workpiece by suction. Furthermore, the end effector 20 may also be, for example, a polishing machine, grinding machine, cutting machine, or a tool such as a screwdriver or wrench.

[0030] In addition, in the robot coordinate system, a control point TCP is set at the tip of the end effector 20. In the robot system 100, by knowing the position of the control point TCP in the robot coordinate system, the control point TCP can be used as a reference for control.

[0031] Next, the teaching device 4 will be described. 1 and 2, the teaching device 4 has a display unit 40 and has a function of creating and inputting an operation program for the robot arm 10. The teaching device 4 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a tablet, a personal computer, a smartphone, and a teaching pendant.

[0032] Specifically, the teaching device 4 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a communication unit 43. The control unit 41 is configured by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and reads out various programs such as a teaching program stored in the storage unit .

[0033] The communication unit 43 transmits and receives signals to and from the information processing device 3 using an external interface such as a wired LAN (Local Area Network) or a wireless LAN.

[0034] Next, the information processing device 3 will be described. 1, 2, and 3, the information processing device 3 has a function of acquiring and storing operation information of the robot 1, as well as a function of controlling the operation of the robot 1. In this sense, the information processing device 3 can also be said to be a robot control device having a function of storing robot operation information.

[0035] The information processing device 3 does not necessarily have to have a function of controlling the operation of the robot 1. In this case, a robot control device is provided separately from the information processing device 3.

[0036] 1, in this embodiment, the information processing device 3 is installed at a position separate from the robot 1. However, this configuration is not limiting, and for example, the information processing device 3 may be built into the base 11 of the robot 1.

[0037] 2, the information processing device 3 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a communication unit 33. These units are connected to each other via a bus, for example, so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0038] The control unit 31 is configured by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and reads and executes various programs such as operation programs stored in the storage unit 32. Signals generated by the control unit 31 are transmitted to each part of the robot 1 via the communication unit 33. This allows the robot arm 10 to perform a predetermined task under predetermined conditions.

[0039] The storage unit 32 stores various programs executable by the control unit 31. Examples of the storage unit 32 include volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), and removable external storage devices. The storage unit 32 stores a program for executing the information processing method of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the program for executing the information processing method of the present invention may be stored in a storage device other than the storage unit 32, such as the storage unit 42 of the teaching device 4 or a server (not shown).

[0040] The communication unit 33 transmits and receives signals to and from the robot 1 using an external interface such as a wired LAN (Local Area Network) or a wireless LAN.

[0041] In such a robot system 100, the information processing device 3 acquires operation information data (hereinafter referred to as "operation information S") in real time as needed while the robot 1 is operating, and stores the acquired operation information S as needed. The operation information S of the robot 1 includes stress information related to stress applied to the robot arm 10 and speed information related to the speed of the robot arm 10.

[0042] Stress information related to the stress applied to the robot arm 10 is obtained based on the detection values ​​of the force detection unit 19. That is, the stress information related to the stress applied to the robot arm 10, particularly the stress information related to the stress applied to the tip (control point TCP) of the robot arm 10, includes information on the force values ​​on three mutually orthogonal detection axes set in the force detection unit 19 and the torque values ​​around the three detection axes.

[0043] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and the stress information regarding the stress applied to the robot arm 10 is not limited to the detection value of the force detection unit 19, but may also be, for example, stress information detected by a force detection unit (not shown) similar to the force detection unit 19 installed on the base 11 or each of the joints 171 to 176.

[0044] Furthermore, the stress information relating to the stress applied to the robot arm 10 is not limited to that obtained by the force detection unit 19 or the like, but may be a detection value from other sensors, such as a vibration sensor or an inertial sensor.

[0045] The velocity information regarding the velocity of the robot arm 10 is information regarding the velocity of the control point TCP. The velocity of the control point TCP can be obtained from the rotational velocity of each of the joints 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, and 176. The rotational velocity of each of the joints 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, and 176 can be obtained from the detection values ​​of the encoders E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, and E6. In other words, the detection values ​​of the encoders E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, and E6 can be said to be velocity information regarding the velocity of the robot arm 10.

[0046] In addition, without being limited to the above configuration, the speed information regarding the speed of the robot arm 10 may include speed information regarding the speed of a point other than the control point TCP, for example, a specified part of each arm that constitutes the robot arm 10.

[0047] Furthermore, the speed information regarding the speed of the robot arm 10 may be information obtained by calculation from the image capture results of a camera (not shown), or may be information obtained by calculation from the detection value of a speed sensor (not shown).

[0048] Furthermore, if the velocity of the control point TCP can be calculated from the detection value of the force detection unit 19, this calculated value may be used as velocity information relating to the velocity of the robot arm 10 (control point TCP).

[0049] The information processing device 3 acquires such operation information S and performs the following processing, which will be described below.

[0050] 3, the information processing device 3 includes, as functional units 5, an operation information acquisition unit 51, a writing unit 52, a determination unit 53, a first memory 54, a second memory 55, and a third memory 56. These functional units 5 can be realized by the hardware configuration example shown in FIG.

[0051] The operation information acquisition unit 51 acquires the above-mentioned operation information S from each part of the robot 1 in real time while the robot arm 10 is operating.

[0052] As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, the writing unit 52 has the following functions: a function of writing the operation information S acquired by the operation information acquiring unit 51 to the first memory 54 (normal writing function); a function of writing first specified operation information S1 (described later) to the second memory 55 (hereinafter referred to as the "first writing function"); a function of writing second specified operation information S2 (described later) to the third memory 56 (hereinafter referred to as the "second writing function"); and a function of writing the second specified operation information S2 stored in the third memory 56 to the second memory 55 (hereinafter referred to as the "third writing function"). Each function may be performed by a single processor or by multiple different processors. When multiple different processors are used, the processors are collectively referred to as the writing unit 52. Each function may be configured to use a data transfer method such as DMA (Direct Memory Access).

[0053] Furthermore, when the writing unit 52 writes information, the memory to which the information is written stores the information as data in a predetermined format. Furthermore, when the writing unit 52 writes information, it can mean either duplicating the information data or deleting and moving the originally existing information data, but in the following description it will be described as duplicating the information data.

[0054] The first memory 54 is a storage device provided in the information processing device 3, and is configured as a volatile memory such as a ring buffer. That is, the first memory 54 stores the operation information S in real time for a certain period of time (hereinafter, described as 30 seconds), and after the certain period of time has elapsed, the old operation information S is overwritten with the new operation information S.

[0055] In FIG. 4, the first memory 54 is shown as a rectangle, and the area inside the rectangle is the area for storing information. Within this rectangle, operation information S is written in real time from the top to the bottom in FIG. 4. If the entire area inside the rectangle is an area for storing, for example, 30 seconds' worth of operation information S, operation information is stored from 0 seconds (the top end of the rectangle) toward the bottom. After 30 seconds' worth of operation information S has been stored, the operation information S (oldest operation information S) from 0 seconds (the top end of the rectangle) is subsequently overwritten sequentially. The writing unit 52 performs such operations in real time while the robot 1 is in operation. This writing function is the normal writing function.

[0056] The operation information S of the robot 1 becomes enormous in volume as the operating time of the robot 1 increases, so the configuration described above in which the operation information S is stored in the first memory 54 for only a certain period of time is advantageous in terms of preventing the first memory 54 from becoming larger, suppressing an increase in memory capacity, and suppressing costs.

[0057] The second memory 55 is a storage device that is detachably attached to the information processing device 3. The second memory 55 is configured, for example, by an SD card, a CD-ROM, a USB memory, etc. The user can remove the second memory 55 in which the operation information S is stored from the information processing device 3 and use another device to, for example, play and analyze the operation information S.

[0058] In this embodiment, the second memory 55 is not a component of the information processing device 3, but may be a component.

[0059] The third memory 56 is a storage device provided in or connectable to the information processing device 3. The third memory 56 may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory. Furthermore, the third memory 56 may be detachable from the information processing device 3.

[0060] The determination unit 53 determines whether a predetermined trigger condition has occurred. The occurrence of the predetermined trigger condition means that the conditions for the writing unit 52 to perform the first writing function or the second writing function have been satisfied.

[0061] In this embodiment, the trigger conditions are that the stress applied to the robot arm 10 exceeds a predetermined value (stress threshold) and that the speed of the robot arm 10 exceeds a predetermined value (speed threshold). That is, the determination unit 53 determines that a predetermined trigger condition has occurred when at least one of the two conditions, that is, that the stress applied to the robot arm 10 exceeds a predetermined value (stress threshold) or that the speed of the robot arm 10 exceeds a predetermined value (speed threshold), is satisfied. In this case, the trigger condition may occur in three cases: that the stress applied to the robot arm 10 exceeds a predetermined value, that the speed of the robot arm 10 exceeds a predetermined value, or both.

[0062] If the operation information S includes information other than stress information and speed information, the predetermined trigger condition is set appropriately in accordance with the information other than stress information and speed information. For example, if the operation information S is information on an image of the surroundings of the robot 1 captured by a separately installed camera, the predetermined trigger condition is that an intruding object is confirmed in the captured image of the surroundings of the robot 1. In other words, when it is detected that an intruding object has approached the robot 1, a trigger signal is emitted, and receiving this signal satisfies the trigger condition.

[0063] Additionally, or instead of the above, the predetermined trigger condition may be a condition that the user issues a write instruction to the second memory 55. The user can issue a write instruction using, for example, the teaching device 4.

[0064] Each writing function will be explained below. (First writing function) When the determination unit 53 determines that a trigger condition has occurred, the writing unit 52 extracts first specific operation information S1 corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of the trigger condition from the operation information S stored in the first memory 54, and writes the extracted information into the second memory 55. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , when the stress applied to the robot arm 10 at time T1 exceeds a predetermined value, the information including stress information from the operation information S stored in the first memory 54, i.e., the first specific operation information S1, is stored into the second memory 55.

[0065] The first specified operation information S1 may be an extracted version of only the information corresponding to the cause of occurrence of the trigger condition, or may include other information in addition to the information corresponding to the cause of occurrence of the trigger condition.

[0066] Furthermore, the first specified operation information S1 includes operation information S for a predetermined time (previous time BT1) before the time T1 when the trigger condition occurred, and operation information S for a predetermined time (after time AT1) after the time T1 when the trigger condition occurred. That is, the first specified operation information S1 is operation information S for several seconds before and after the time T1 when the trigger condition occurred. This makes it possible to store in the second memory 55 the operation information S of the robot 1 before and after (before and after) the time T1 when the trigger condition occurred, and to grasp the behavior before and after the time T1 when the trigger condition occurred.

[0067] The number of seconds for each of the pre-time BT1 and post-time AT1 is not particularly limited, but BT1 is preferably 2 seconds or more and 8 seconds or less, and AT1 is preferably 1 second or more and 2 seconds or less.

[0068] The ratio of BT1 to AT1 is not particularly limited, but AT1 / BT1 is preferably 1 or more and 4 or less.

[0069] At this time, the writing unit 52 performs a compression process (compression encoding process) on the first specified operation information S1 and writes it to the second memory 55. This allows the second memory 55 to store a sufficient amount of information.

[0070] (Second writing function) If the determination unit 53 determines that a separate (new) trigger condition has occurred before the writing unit 52 finishes writing the first specified operation information S1 into the second memory 55, the writing unit 52 extracts second specified operation information S2 corresponding to the cause of the occurrence from the operation information S and stores it in the third memory 56. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , if the stress applied to the robot arm 10 exceeds a predetermined value (stress threshold) at time T2 before the writing unit 52 finishes writing the first specified operation information S1 into the second memory 55, the writing unit 52 extracts information including stress information from the operation information S stored in the first memory 54, i.e., the second specified operation information S2, and stores it in the third memory 56.

[0071] The trigger condition for performing the second write function may be the same as or different from the trigger condition for performing the first write function.

[0072] The second specified operation information S2 may be an extracted version of only the information corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of the trigger condition, or may include other operation information S in addition to the information corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of the trigger condition.

[0073] The second specified operation information S2 also includes operation information S for a predetermined time (previous time BT2) before the time T2 when the trigger condition occurred, and operation information S for a predetermined time (after time AT2) after the time T2 when the trigger condition occurred. That is, the second specified operation information S2 is operation information S for several seconds before and after the time T2 when the trigger condition occurred. This allows the operation information S of the robot 1 before and after the time T2 when the trigger condition occurred to be stored in the third memory 56.

[0074] The time periods (BT2, AT2) before and after the time T2 when the trigger condition occurred in the second specific operation information S2 are approximately the same as the time periods (BT1, AT1) before and after the time T1 when the trigger condition occurred in the first specific operation information S1. The preferable value of AT2 / BT2 is also similar to the above-mentioned AT1 / BT1.

[0075] However, without being limited to this configuration, the times (BT2, AT2) before and after the time T2 when the trigger condition occurred in the second specified operation information S2 may be different from the times (BT1, AT1) before and after the time T1 when the trigger condition occurred in the first specified operation information S1. Furthermore, AT2 / BT2 may be the same as or different from AT1 / BT1.

[0076] At this time, the writing unit 52 does not perform compression processing on the second specified operation information S2, but simply writes it to the third memory 56. The purpose of writing the second specified operation information S2 to the third memory 56 is to prevent the second specified operation information S2 from being overwritten and erased in the first memory 54. Because compression processing is omitted when writing the second specified operation information S2 from the first memory 54 to the third memory 56, the data writing can be completed in a short time. In other words, the second specified operation information S2 can be saved to the third memory 56 in a short time.

[0077] (Third writing function) As shown in Figure 7, after the writing unit 52 finishes writing the first specific operation information S1 to the second memory 55, it starts writing the second specific operation information S2 stored in the third memory 56 to the second memory 55.

[0078] At this time, the second specified operation information S2 is compressed before being written to the second memory 55. This allows the second memory 55 to store a sufficient amount of information. As described above, when the second specified operation information S2 is written to the third memory 56, compression processing is not performed in order to complete the writing processing in a short time so that the second specified operation information S2 is not overwritten. In contrast, when the second specified operation information S2 stored in the third memory 56 is written to the second memory 55, there is ample time, so compression processing is performed.

[0079] Writing the first specified operation information S1 and the second specified operation information S2 to the second memory 55 can take a relatively long time depending on the data volume. If a trigger condition occurs while writing the first specified operation information S1, and writing the second specified operation information S2 from the first memory 54 to the second memory 55 begins immediately after the trigger condition occurs, there will be a period of time during which the first specified operation information S1 and the second specified operation information S2 are simultaneously written. In this case, the time until writing of the second specified operation information S2 is completed will be long. Furthermore, even if the second specified operation information S2 is written from the first memory 54 to the second memory 55 after writing of the first specified operation information S1 is completed, the time until writing of the second specified operation information S2 is completed will be long. In some cases, the second specified operation information S2 in the first memory 54 may be overwritten with the next operation information S before writing of the second specified operation information S2 begins, which could prevent the second specified operation information S2 from being written to the second memory 55.

[0080] In contrast, in the information processing device 3, the writing unit 52 has the first writing function, second writing function, and third writing function as described above. That is, if a separate trigger condition occurs while the first specified operation information S1 is being written to the second memory 55, the writing unit 52 temporarily writes the second specified operation information S2 to the third memory 56 and saves the second specified operation information S2 so that it is not overwritten by new operation information S. Then, after writing of the first specified operation information S1 to the second memory 55 is completed, the writing unit 52 writes the saved second specified operation information S2 from the third memory 56 to the second memory 55. This prevents the second specified operation information S2 from being overwritten and erased, even if the trigger condition occurs frequently (multiple times) within a short period of time. Therefore, even if the trigger condition occurs frequently within a short period of time, the operation information S corresponding to the cause of each trigger condition can be accurately stored in the second memory 55.

[0081] Furthermore, with the above configuration, the time required to finish writing the second specified operation information S2 to the second memory 55 can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the first specified operation information S1 and the second specified operation information S2 are stored sequentially in a single memory. Therefore, even if trigger conditions occur frequently within a short period of time, the first specified operation information S1 and the second specified operation information S2 corresponding to each trigger condition can be quickly stored in the second memory 55. As described above, with the present invention, even if trigger conditions occur frequently within a short period of time, the first specified operation information S1 and the second specified operation information S2 corresponding to those trigger conditions can be accurately and quickly stored in the second memory 55.

[0082] Furthermore, it is preferable to write and store data in small chunks, such as at intervals of a predetermined time or by type of data. This allows for rapid processing and allows for smooth resumption in the event of an interruption or communication error.

[0083] As described above, the information processing device 3 includes the first memory 54 that stores the operation information S for a certain period of time in real time when the robot 1 having the robot arm 10 is operating; the judgment unit 53 that judges whether a predetermined trigger condition has occurred; the writing unit 52 that, when the judgment unit 53 judges that the trigger condition has occurred, extracts first specific operation information S1 from the operation information stored in the first memory 54 that corresponds to the cause of the trigger condition and writes the extracted information to the second memory 55; and the third memory 56 that, when the judgment unit 53 judges that a different trigger condition has occurred before the writing unit 52 finishes writing the first specific operation information S1 to the second memory 55, extracts second specific operation information S2 from the operation information S that corresponds to the cause of the different trigger condition and stores the extracted information in the third memory 56. The writing unit 52 sequentially writes the first specific operation information S1 to the second memory 55 and then writes the second specific operation information S2 stored in the third memory 56 to the second memory 55. As a result, even if the trigger conditions occur frequently within a short period of time, the first specific operation information S1 and the second specific operation information S2 corresponding to those trigger conditions can be stored in the second memory 55 accurately and quickly.

[0084] The robot system 100 also includes a robot 1 having a robot arm 10, and an information processing device 3 that processes operation information S of the robot 1. The information processing device 3 includes a first memory 54 that stores operation information for a certain period of time in real time when the robot 1 having the robot arm 10 is operating, a determination unit 53 that determines whether a predetermined trigger condition has occurred, and, when the determination unit 53 determines that the trigger condition has occurred, extracts first specific operation information S1 from the operation information stored in the first memory 54 that corresponds to the cause of the occurrence of the trigger condition. and a third memory 56 for storing second specified operation information S2 corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of another trigger condition, when the determination unit 53 determines that another trigger condition has occurred before the writing unit 52 finishes writing the first specified operation information S1 to the second memory 55. The writing unit 52 sequentially writes the first specified operation information S1 to the second memory 55 and then writes the second specified operation information S2 stored in the third memory 56 to the second memory 55. As a result, even if trigger conditions occur frequently within a short period of time, the first specified operation information S1 and the second specified operation information S2 corresponding to those trigger conditions can be accurately and quickly stored in the second memory 55. Therefore, for example, the behavior of the robot arm 10 before and after the occurrence of a trigger condition and the cause of the occurrence of the trigger condition can be more effectively analyzed, and this can be reflected in appropriate operation of the robot arm 10 from the next time onwards.

[0085] When trigger conditions with different causes occur simultaneously, one of them can be set as the first specified operation information S1 and the other as the second specified operation information S2, and the above-described processing can be performed.

[0086] Furthermore, if a separate trigger condition occurs while the second specific operation information S2 is being written to the third memory 56 or while the second specific operation information S2 stored in the third memory 56 is being written to the second memory 55, it is preferable to extract the third specific operation information corresponding to the cause of the occurrence from the operation information S and write it to the third memory 56.

[0087] After writing of the first specified operation information S1 to the second memory 55 is completed, the writing unit 52 starts writing of the second specified operation information S2 stored in the third memory 56 to the second memory 55. This effectively reduces the burden on the writing unit 52 because the writing processes of the first specified operation information S1 and the second specified operation information S2 do not overlap in time, and each writing process can be performed more quickly and reliably.

[0088] Note that the writing of the second specified operation information S2 stored in the third memory 56 to the second memory 55 may start before the writing of the first specified operation information S1 to the second memory 55 is completed. In other words, the writing of the first specified operation information S1 to the second memory 55 and the writing of the second specified operation information S2 stored in the third memory 56 to the second memory 55 may partially overlap in time.

[0089] The operation information S includes at least one (in this embodiment, both) of stress information related to the stress applied to the robot arm 10 and speed information related to the speed of the robot arm 10. This allows for accurate storage of stress information and speed information of high importance.

[0090] The operation information S may include only one of the stress information and the speed information.

[0091] Furthermore, the operation information S may include information other than the stress information and the speed information, or may not include the stress information and the speed information and may include only the information other than the stress information and the speed information. The information other than the stress information and the speed information is as described above.

[0092] When the operation information S includes stress information, the determination unit 53 determines that a trigger condition has occurred when the stress exceeds a predetermined value (stress threshold), and when the operation information S includes speed information, the determination unit 53 determines that a trigger condition has occurred when the speed exceeds a predetermined value (speed threshold). This allows the necessary information to be stored accurately.

[0093] The first specified operation information S1 and the second specified operation information S2 each include operation information S for a predetermined time period (previous times BT1, BT2) before the time T1, T2 when the trigger condition occurred, and operation information S for a predetermined time period (after times AT1, AT2) after the time T1, T2 when the trigger condition occurred. This allows the operation information S of the robot 1 before and after the time T1, T2 when the trigger condition occurred to be stored in the second memory 55, making it possible to grasp the behavior of the robot arm 10 before and after the time T1, T2 when the trigger condition occurred. In particular, this behavior can be analyzed more effectively and in more detail. As a result, this information can be reflected in the appropriate operation of the robot arm 10 from the next time onwards.

[0094] Furthermore, the writing unit 52 extracts the second specified operation information S2 from the operation information S and writes it to the third memory 56 without compressing it, and compresses the second specified operation information S2 stored in the third memory 56 and writes it to the second memory 55. This allows the second specified operation information S2 corresponding to the trigger conditions to be quickly stored in the third memory 56, even if the trigger conditions occur frequently within a short period of time. Furthermore, the second memory 55 can store a sufficient amount of information.

[0095] The first specific operation information S1 and the second specific operation information S2 may each be only the operation information S for a predetermined time period before the times T1 and T2 at which the trigger condition occurred, or only the operation information S for a predetermined time period after the times T1 and T2 at which the trigger condition occurred, or only the operation information S for the times T1 and T2 at which the trigger condition occurred.

[0096] The robot system 100 may have a notification unit that notifies the occurrence of a trigger condition, the occurrence of the trigger condition and the cause of the occurrence, the execution of writing the first specified operation information S1 to the second memory 55, the execution of writing the second specified operation information S2 to the third memory 56, and the execution of writing the second specified operation information S2 from the third memory 56 to the second memory 55. An example of such a notification unit is the above-mentioned display unit 40, and the above notification contents can be displayed on the display unit 40 using characters, figures, etc. Furthermore, although not shown, the information processing device 3 may have a display unit similar to the display unit 40, and the above notification contents may be notified by the display unit.

[0097] Next, an example of an information processing device and an information processing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0098] While the robot arm 10 is operating, first, in step S101, the operation information S is stored in real time for a certain period of time in the first memory 54. That is, the operation information acquisition unit 51 acquires the operation information S from the robot 1, and the writing unit 52 writes the acquired operation information S into the first memory 54. This step S101 is the first step.

[0099] Next, in step S102, it is determined whether or not a predetermined trigger condition has occurred. This step S102 is the second step. The determination in this step is made by the determination unit 53, as described above.

[0100] In step S102, if it is determined that the trigger condition has occurred (step S102: YES), the process proceeds to step S103, and if it is determined that the trigger condition has not occurred (step S102: NO), the process proceeds to step S106.

[0101] In step S103, writing of the first specified operation information S1 to the second memory 55 is started. That is, the writing unit 52 extracts the first specified operation information S1 corresponding to the cause of occurrence of the trigger condition from the operation information S stored in the first memory 54, and starts writing it to the second memory 55. Step S103 is the third step.

[0102] Next, in step S104, it is determined whether a trigger condition has occurred. That is, it is determined whether a separate (new) trigger condition has occurred when the first specified operation information S1 is written to the second memory 55. The determination in this step is made by the determination unit 53, as described above.

[0103] In step S104, if it is determined that the trigger condition has occurred (step S104: YES), the process proceeds to step S107, and if it is determined that the trigger condition has not occurred (step S104: NO), the process proceeds to step S105.

[0104] In step S105, it is determined whether or not writing of the first specific operation information S1 to the second memory 55 is complete. If it is determined in step S105 that writing is complete (step S105: YES), the process proceeds to step S106, and if it is determined that writing is not complete (step S105: NO), the process returns to step S104.

[0105] On the other hand, determining in step S104 that a trigger condition has occurred means that another trigger condition has occurred before writing of the first specified operation information S1 to the second memory 55 is completed. In this case, in step S107, second specified operation information S2 corresponding to the cause of the occurrence is extracted from the operation information S in the first memory 54 and stored in the third memory 56. This step S107 is the fourth step. The writing in this step is performed by the writing unit 52, as described above.

[0106] Next, after writing of the first specified operation information S1 to the second memory 55 is completed, in step S108, the second specified operation information stored in the third memory 56 is written to the second memory 55. This step S108 is the fifth step. The writing in this step is performed by the writing unit 52, as described above.

[0107] Next, in step S106, it is determined whether the operation of the robot 1, i.e., the operation of the robot arm 10, has ended. If it is determined in step S106 that the operation of the robot 1 has ended, the program is terminated. If it is determined in step S106 that the operation of the robot 1 has not ended, the process returns to step S101.

[0108] As described above, the information processing method includes a first step of writing operation information S into the first memory 54, which stores operation information S for a certain period of time in real time when the robot 1 having the robot arm 10 is operating; a second step of determining whether a predetermined trigger condition has occurred; a third step of writing, if it is determined in the second step that the trigger condition has occurred, first specific operation information S1 from the operation information S stored in the first memory 54, which corresponds to the cause of the occurrence of the trigger condition, into the second memory 55; a fourth step of extracting second specific operation information S2 corresponding to the cause of the occurrence from the operation information S and storing it in the third memory 56, if a separate trigger condition has occurred before the writing of the first specific operation information S1 into the second memory 55 is completed in the third step; and a fifth step of writing the second specific operation information S2 stored in the third memory 56 into the second memory 55. As a result, even if a trigger condition occurs frequently within a short period of time, the first specific operation information S1 and the second specific operation information S2 corresponding to the trigger condition can be accurately and quickly stored in the second memory 55. Therefore, for example, the behavior of the robot arm 10 before and after the occurrence of the trigger condition, the cause of the occurrence of the trigger condition, etc. can be more effectively analyzed, and this can be reflected in the appropriate operation of the robot arm 10 from the next time onwards.

[0109] The program for executing the information processing method of the present invention is stored in the storage unit 32 of the information processing device 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the program may be stored in the storage unit 42 of the teaching device 4 or in another storage device.

[0110] Although the information processing device, robot system, and information processing method of the present invention have been described above with reference to the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these. Furthermore, each part and each step of the information processing device, robot system, and information processing method can be replaced with any structure or step that can perform the same function. Furthermore, any structure or step may be added. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 1...robot, 3...information processing device, 4...teaching device, 5...functional unit, 10...robot arm, 11...base, 12...first arm, 13...second arm, 14...third arm, 15...fourth arm, 16...fifth arm, 17...sixth arm, 19...force detection unit, 20...end effector, 31...control unit, 32...memory unit, 33...communication unit, 40...display unit, 41...control unit, 42...memory unit, 43...communication unit, 51...operation information acquisition unit, 52...writing unit, 53...judgment unit, 54...first memory, 55...second memory, 56...third memory, 100...robot system, 171...joint, 172...joint, 173...joint, 174...joint, 175...joint, 176...joint, AT1...later time, AT2...later time, BT1...previous time, BT2...previous time, D1...motor driver, D2...motor driver, D3...motor driver, D4...motor driver, D5...motor driver, D6...motor driver, E1...encoder, E2...encoder, E3...encoder, E4...encoder, E5...encoder, E6...encoder, M1...motor, M2...motor, M3...motor, M4...motor, M5...motor, M6...motor, S...operation information, S1...first specific operation information, S2...second specific operation information, T1...time, T2...time, TCP...control point

Claims

1. a first memory that stores operational information for a certain period of time in real time when a robot having a robot arm is operating; a determination unit that determines whether a predetermined trigger condition occurs; a writing unit that, when the determining unit determines that the trigger condition has occurred, extracts first specific operation information corresponding to a cause of the occurrence of the trigger condition from the operation information stored in the first memory and writes the first specific operation information into a second memory; a third memory for storing second specific operation information extracted by the writing unit from the operation information, the second specific operation information corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of the separate trigger condition, when the determining unit determines that a separate trigger condition has occurred before the writing unit finishes writing the first specific operation information to the second memory; The information processing device is characterized in that the writing unit sequentially writes the first specific operation information to the second memory and writes the second specific operation information stored in the third memory to the second memory.

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the writing unit starts writing the second specific operation information stored in the third memory to the second memory after writing of the first specific operation information to the second memory is completed.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the operation information includes at least one of stress information relating to stress applied to the robot arm and speed information relating to a speed of the robot arm.

4. When the operation information includes the stress information, the determination unit determines that the trigger condition has occurred when the stress exceeds a predetermined value; The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein, when the operation information includes the speed information, the determination unit determines that the trigger condition has occurred when the speed exceeds a predetermined value.

5. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first specific operation information and the second specific operation information each include the operation information for a predetermined time period before the time when the trigger condition occurs and the operation information for a predetermined time period after the time when the trigger condition occurs.

6. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the writing unit extracts the second specific operation information from the operation information and writes it to the third memory without compressing it, and compresses the second specific operation information stored in the third memory and writes it to the second memory.

7. a robot having a robot arm; an information processing device that processes operation information of the robot, The information processing device includes a first memory that stores the operation information in real time for a certain period of time; a determination unit that determines whether a predetermined trigger condition occurs; a writing unit that, when the determining unit determines that the trigger condition has occurred, extracts first specific operation information corresponding to a cause of the occurrence of the trigger condition from the operation information stored in the first memory and writes the first specific operation information into a second memory; a third memory for storing second specific operation information extracted by the writing unit from the operation information, the second specific operation information corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of the separate trigger condition, when the determining unit determines that a separate trigger condition has occurred before the writing unit finishes writing the first specific operation information to the second memory; The robot system is characterized in that the writing unit sequentially writes the first specific operation information to the second memory and writes the second specific operation information stored in the third memory to the second memory.

8. a first step of writing operation information into a first memory that stores operation information for a certain period of time in real time while a robot having a robot arm is operating; a second step of determining whether a predetermined trigger condition has occurred; a third step of writing, into a second memory, first specific operation information, among the operation information stored in the first memory, that corresponds to a cause of occurrence of the trigger condition, when it is determined in the second step that the trigger condition has occurred; a fourth step of extracting second specific operation information corresponding to a cause of the occurrence of the separate trigger condition from the operation information and storing the second specific operation information in a third memory when a separate trigger condition occurs before the writing of the first specific operation information into the second memory in the third step is completed; and a fifth step of writing the second specific operation information stored in the third memory into the second memory.

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