Information processing methods, information processing devices, programs
The method automates the verification of robot operation commands affected by teaching point changes, reducing verification time and potential hazards by simulating and notifying users of issues and suggesting corrections.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CANON KK
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-15
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-27
AI Technical Summary
Existing robot operation verification methods require significant manual effort to confirm that changes in teaching points do not lead to operation hindrances such as contact with obstacles or singularities, especially when multiple operation commands are involved.
An information processing method that acquires and notifies users of operation commands affected by changes in teaching points, using simulation to identify potential operation issues and optionally suggests corrective actions.
Reduces the time required to verify operation commands by automatically identifying and notifying users of potential operation hazards, and can suggest modifications to avoid such hazards.
Smart Images
Figure 2026087048000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method, an information processing apparatus, and a program.
Background Art
[0002] In order to operate a robot, it is necessary to register teaching points, which are information on the position and orientation of the robot, and describe operation commands using the teaching points in a robot program. At this time, if the conditions of the teaching points are incorrect or operation commands using incorrect teaching points are described, the robot may enter a state that hinders its operation, such as contact with an obstacle, passing through a singular point, or outside the movable range. Therefore, a method for confirming whether the described operation commands are appropriate has been demanded. In Patent Document 1, a method is disclosed for presenting to the user whether a newly described operation command causes the robot to contact or pass through a singular point.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] Robot operations may change conditions such as the position of teaching points by adjusting or modifying the operations. Since changing the conditions of the teaching points changes the robot's trajectory, it is necessary to confirm again whether the robot enters a state that hinders the above-described operations. Furthermore, since one teaching point may be used in a plurality of operation commands, the robot trajectory may change with a plurality of operation commands. Due to the above, a lot of man-hours have been required to confirm operation commands whose trajectories change.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0005] The information processing method relating to this disclosure is characterized by performing an acquisition step of acquiring an operation command relating to a teaching point whose conditions have been changed when the conditions of the teaching point in the operation of the robot are changed, and a notification step of notifying the user of the operation command that is in a predetermined state among the operation commands acquired in the acquisition step. It is characterized by. [Effects of the Invention]
[0006] By using the technology disclosed herein, it is possible to notify the user of a motion command if a change in the teaching point conditions causes the motion command to interfere with the robot's operation, thereby reducing the time required to verify motion commands. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0007] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing an information processing device that performs robot teaching according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing a graphical user interface for teaching a robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart showing the robot teaching procedure according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for changing the robot teaching point according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for obtaining an operation command according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows the procedure for presenting a proposed modification of the operation command according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows the procedure for generating a proposed modification of the operation instruction according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram of a graphical user interface that presents a proposed modification of the operation command according to the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0008] (First Embodiment) This embodiment describes an example in which multiple teaching points are set in teaching software, operation commands using these teaching points are registered in an operation command list, and then the teaching points are changed. In this example, the operation commands are registered in an operation command list rather than written in the robot program, but they may also be written in the robot program. The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0009] Figure 1 shows an information processing device for teaching a robot. The information processing device 10 consists of a computer 11 that runs the teaching software for the robot 100, a display 12 which is a display unit that displays the user interface of the teaching software, and a mouse 13 and keyboard 14 for inputting information to the teaching software. The robot 100 is taught using teaching points generated by the information processing device 10 and used for manufacturing goods.
[0010] Although this diagram uses a desktop computer as an example, it could also be an information processing device such as a laptop computer, tablet PC, or smartphone. Each of the processes described below is performed by a processing unit such as the CPU included in computer 11.
[0011] Figure 2 shows the user interface of the robot teaching program. The user interface consists of a main view 21 that shows the state of the robot 100, a teaching point list 22, and an action command list 23. The teaching point list 22 contains the robot's teaching points 220. The action command list 23 contains the action commands 230. An action command 230 consists of an action command number 231, an action command type 232, and a target position for the action 233. The registered action commands are executed in the order of 230, then action command number 231.
[0012] Figure 3 shows the overall flow of robot teaching. In the teaching of robot 100, first, the user registers teaching points (S31), and then the user registers operation instructions for robot 100 (S32). This completes the teaching of robot 100. However, when changing conditions such as the position of the teaching points due to operation adjustment or modification, a teaching point change operation is performed (S33). In this patent, when conditions such as the position of the teaching points are changed, the operation instructions related to the teaching points are obtained and simulated, and when a predetermined state occurs, the user is notified (S34).
[0013] Here, the predetermined state refers to a state that hinders the operation of the robot, such as contact with an obstacle, passing through a singular point, or outside the movable range, by performing an operation simulation using the generated robot trajectory.
[0014] Figure 4 shows the detailed flow of the procedure (S34) for notifying the user of the operation instructions in a predetermined state due to the change of the teaching points.
[0015] First, the flow branches according to whether the user has completed the change of the teaching points (S41). When changing the teaching points, one or more teaching points are changed by the user (S42). The information processing device obtains the operation instructions related to the teaching points changed by the user (S43). Next, an operation simulation of robot 100 is performed for the obtained operation instructions (S44). Next, it is determined whether robot 100 has entered a predetermined state in the simulation (S45). Finally, when a predetermined state has occurred, the user is notified of the operation instructions in the predetermined state by highlighting the operation instructions (S46).
[0016] The method of highlighting may be, for example, displaying the operation instructions in which a predetermined state has occurred in red in the operation instruction list 23, or displaying the operation instructions in which a predetermined state has occurred in a separate list.
[0017] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure for obtaining the operation instructions related to a certain teaching point.
[0018] First, an instruction point to be changed is selected by the user (S51). The system searches for the instruction point selected by the user from the operation instruction list and obtains the operation instruction using the instruction point (S52). Next, an operation instruction having the instruction point selected by the user as the starting point, that is, an operation instruction whose starting point has changed due to the change, is obtained (S53).
[0019] In this embodiment, since the target position 233 of the operation is set for each operation instruction, the next operation instruction obtained in S52 becomes the operation instruction obtained in S53. For example, it is assumed that the instruction point ABC is registered in the instruction point list 22 as shown in FIG. 2. Further, it is assumed that operation instructions 1 to 5 are set in the operation instruction list 23. As the flow when the user selects the instruction point A at this time, first, in S52, the operation instructions of operation instruction numbers 1 and 5 having the instruction point A as the target position are obtained.
[0020] Next, in S53, the operation instruction of operation instruction number 2, which is the next operation instruction of the operation instruction obtained in S52, is obtained. In this example, since the operation instruction number 5 is the final instruction, the next operation instruction of the operation instruction number 5 is not obtained. Here, when the operation instructions obtained in S52 and S53 are highlighted, it is possible to simply show how much the instruction point selected by the user affects all the operations of the robot 100, so it may be highlighted for convenience.
[0021] In the simulation of S45, an operation simulation is performed for each obtained operation instruction. At this time, a robot trajectory is generated using the type 232 of the operation instruction, the target position 233 of the operation, and the target position 233 of the previous operation instruction.
[0022] For example, in S44 of Figure 4, suppose the motion command 23 of motion command 2 in Figure 2 is acquired. To generate a robot trajectory from this motion command, the motion command type = joint trajectory, the target position of the motion = teaching point B, and the target position of the previous motion command = teaching point A are used. By performing a motion simulation using the generated robot trajectory, it is determined whether the robot has entered a predetermined state that hinders its movement, such as contact with an obstacle, passing through a singularity, or going outside the range of motion.
[0023] By using the above method, if an operation command causes a predetermined state due to a change in the teaching point conditions, the user can be notified of that operation command. Therefore, the time required to verify operation commands can be reduced. Note that the operation command acquired in S43 is not limited to the operation command in which the teaching point has been changed. For example, multiple operation commands, including the operation commands before and after it, may be acquired simultaneously. In this way, even when the change in the teaching point affects the operation commands before and after it, the time required to verify operation commands can be reduced.
[0024] (Second embodiment) Suppose a user modifies the teaching points, resulting in the robot making contact with an obstacle during a certain motion command. The user can then either revert the teaching points to their original state or add motion commands to avoid the obstacle. However, adding motion commands is a time-consuming operation, making automation desirable. In such cases, automatically generating and presenting motion commands that achieve an obstacle-avoidance trajectory is useful.
[0025] Figure 6 shows the flow for presenting the user with suggested corrections to a predetermined state caused by a change in the teaching point. The acquired operation command is simulated (S44), and if a predetermined state occurs on the trajectory (S45), the flow proceeds to presenting suggested corrections to the operation command (S60).
[0026] Figure 7 shows the details of the flow (S60) for presenting a proposed modification of the operation command, illustrating, as an example, the flow when a predetermined state is contact with an obstacle. First, it is determined whether the type of predetermined state resulting from the simulation is contact with an obstacle (S71). Next, a robot trajectory that avoids the contact is generated (S72). For example, an obstacle avoidance trajectory is generated using a trajectory generation algorithm such as RRT (Rapidry-Exploring-Random Tree). Next, an operation command that realizes the obstacle avoidance trajectory is generated (S73). Finally, the generated operation command is notified to the user (S74).
[0027] Figure 8 shows a graphical user interface that presents suggested modifications to the operation command. In this case, it is useful to present the user with the simulation results 81 of the operation command that avoids obstacles. Furthermore, if contact with obstacles occurs in multiple operation commands, the interface in Figure 8 may be displayed sequentially or in parallel.
[0028] By using the above method, if a change in the teaching point conditions causes an operation command to trigger a predetermined state, the user can be notified of a method to avoid that predetermined state. Therefore, the time required to verify operation commands can be reduced.
[0029] (Third embodiment) The above embodiment describes a method for when the teaching point conditions are changed. In this embodiment, the time required to verify operation commands can be reduced whether the teaching point conditions are not changed or whether various conditions related to the teaching point are changed.
[0030] For example, when the conditions for a part that robot 100 performs a task such as gripping are changed, the teaching point for which the relative position with respect to the part is registered may be considered to have been changed. Similarly, when the conditions for a TCP (Tool Center Point) are changed, the teaching point associated with that TCP may be considered to have been changed. Furthermore, when the installation conditions for robot 100 are changed, the teaching point associated with that robot may be considered to have been changed.
[0031] In this case, the process starts from S43 in the flow chart of Figure 4. For example, if there is a change in a component, the user may instruct the information processing device through the user interface or the like regarding the affected teaching points. Alternatively, a list linking components and teaching points may be prepared in advance, and the user may instruct the information processing device 10 through the user interface or the like to change the component, thereby changing the related teaching points.
[0032] (Fourth embodiment) In the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, one instruction point is associated with one operation command, and an example was described in which an operation command that would hinder the robot's operation due to a change in the instruction point conditions is notified. In this embodiment, a modified version thereof will be described.
[0033] For example, if a robot 100 moves along a trajectory based on multiple teaching points in response to a single motion command, the modified motion command should be used when any of those teaching points are changed. A trajectory based on multiple teaching points may be a single trajectory formed by connecting individual trajectories between multiple teaching points, or it may be a trajectory formed by connecting teaching points other than the start and end points so that they pass near each other.
[0034] In this case, in step S43 of the flowchart in Figure 4 (obtaining the operation command related to the teaching point changed by the user), the operation command that includes the teaching point changed by the user should be obtained as the changed operation command.
[0035] Furthermore, for example, if multiple devices, including robot 100, are operating in the same area, interference between the robot and other devices may occur. Therefore, the devices may be synchronized at predetermined synchronization timings. In this case, a change in one teaching point condition may cause a shift in the operating timing between multiple devices, potentially leading to interference between synchronization timings. For example, suppose an operation command with a changed teaching point condition lies between the first synchronization timing and the second synchronization timing, and there are other operation commands between these two synchronization timings besides the one that was changed.
[0036] In such cases, at step S43 (acquiring operation commands related to the user-modified teaching point) in the flowchart of Figure 4, all operation commands within the synchronization timing range should be acquired as operation commands modified by the user. By doing so, interference between devices can be prevented even if the operation timing changes due to multiple operation commands.
[0037] Furthermore, in the above example, it is not necessary to acquire all operation commands between synchronization timings. For example, a predetermined number of operation commands immediately before and after an operation command containing a change may be considered as the modified operation command and acquired. Alternatively, for example, operation commands included in the simulation within a predetermined time frame before and after an operation command with a changed teaching point condition may be acquired as the modified operation command.
[0038] Furthermore, when acquiring instruction points for operation commands before and after a modified operation command as described above, the impact on operation is likely to be greater for the operation after the modified operation command. Therefore, it may be possible to acquire more operation commands or a longer duration for the operation commands after the modified operation command than for the operation commands before it. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the computational load compared to acquiring all instruction points between synchronization timings while reducing the possibility of interference.
[0039] (Other embodiments) Embodiments of the present invention also include a control program capable of executing the measurement method described above, and a recording medium readable by a computer storing the control program. As a recording medium for supplying the control program, for example, ROM, disks, external storage devices, etc., may be used. To give a specific example, as a computer-readable non-temporary recording medium, flexible disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory such as USB memory, SSDs, etc., can be used.
[0040] Furthermore, the present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.
[0041] Furthermore, these effects are merely a list of the most preferred effects arising from the technology of this disclosure, and the effects of the technology of this disclosure are not limited to those described above.
[0042] This embodiment includes the following configuration.
[0043] (Item 1) When the conditions of a teaching point in the robot's operation are changed, the process includes an acquisition step to obtain an operation command related to the teaching point whose conditions have been changed, The acquisition step involves a notification step in which, among the operation commands acquired in the acquisition step, the user is notified of the operation commands that are in a predetermined state. An information processing method characterized by the following:
[0044] (Item 2) The information processing method according to item 1, further characterized by performing a simulation step to simulate the operation of the robot based on the operation commands acquired in the acquisition step.
[0045] (Item 3) In the notification step, the notification is to be displayed on the display unit. An information processing method described in item 1 or 2, characterized by the above.
[0046] (Item 4) The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that, in the notification step, the method for modifying the operation command is notified to the user.
[0047] (Item 5) In the notification step, the notification is to be displayed on the display unit. The information processing method described in item 4, characterized by the above.
[0048] (Item 6) The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 5, further characterized in that when the operation reaches the predetermined state, a modification step is performed to modify the operation command.
[0049] (Item 7) The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that the predetermined state is contact between the trajectory and the obstacle in the operation.
[0050] (Item 8) The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that the predetermined state is that the trajectory in the operation includes a singularity of the robot.
[0051] (Item 9) The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that the predetermined state includes a state in which the trajectory in the operation is outside the range of motion of the robot.
[0052] (Item 10) The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 9, characterized in that it obtains information on whether or not the predetermined state is in place from the operation command whose starting point has been changed by the modification.
[0053] (Item 11) The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 10, characterized in that when the part handled by the robot is changed, the teaching point whose relative position with respect to the part is registered is considered to be the teaching point whose conditions have been changed.
[0054] (Item 12) The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 10, characterized in that when the conditions of the TCP of the robot are changed, the teaching point associated with the TCP is considered to be a teaching point whose conditions have been changed.
[0055] (Item 13) The information processing method according to any one of items 1 to 10, characterized in that when the installation conditions of the robot are changed, the teaching points associated with the robot are considered to be teaching points whose conditions have been changed.
[0056] (Item 14) In the acquisition process described above, if the conditions of the teaching points in the robot's operation are changed, multiple operation commands are acquired, including operation commands related to the teaching points whose conditions have been changed. In the notification step, the user is notified of the operation command among the acquired plurality of operation commands that is in the predetermined state. The information processing method described in any one of items 1 to 13, characterized by the features described herein.
[0057] (Item 15) If the robot and at least one device that synchronizes with the robot at a predetermined synchronization timing operate in the same area, and at least one of a plurality of operation commands between a first synchronization timing and a second synchronization timing has the aforementioned change, In the acquisition step, at least two operation commands are acquired from among the plurality of operation commands included between the first synchronization timing and the second synchronization timing, including the operation command having the modification. The information processing method described in item 14, characterized by the above.
[0058] (Item 16) In the acquisition step, the at least two operation commands are an operation command including the modification and an operation command that is consecutive with the operation command including the modification. The information processing method described in item 15, characterized by the above.
[0059] (Item 17) In the acquisition step, all of the plurality of operation commands included between the first synchronization timing and the second synchronization timing are acquired. The information processing method described in item 16, characterized by the above.
[0060] (Item 18) An information processing device having a processing unit, The processing unit, when the conditions of a teaching point in the robot's operation are changed, acquires an operation command related to the teaching point whose conditions have been changed, and notifies the user of the operation command that is in a predetermined state in the acquired operation command. An information processing device characterized by the following:
[0061] (Item 19) A program that causes a computer to perform the information processing method described in any one of items 1 through 17.
[0062] (Item 20) A computer-readable recording medium containing the program described in item 19.
[0063] (Item 21) A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by manufacturing an article by operating the robot at the teaching points generated by the information processing method described in any one of items 1 to 17. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0064] 10 Information Processing Devices 22. List of Instructions 23. List of Operational Instructions 100 robots
Claims
1. When the conditions of a teaching point in the robot's operation are changed, the process includes an acquisition step to obtain an operation command related to the teaching point whose conditions have been changed, The acquisition step involves a notification step in which, among the operation commands acquired in the acquisition step, the user is notified of the operation commands that are in a predetermined state. An information processing method characterized by the following:
2. The information processing method according to claim 1, further characterized by performing a simulation step to simulate the operation of the robot based on the operation commands acquired in the acquisition step.
3. In the notification step, the notification is to be displayed on the display unit. The information processing method according to claim 1, characterized by the following:
4. The information processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the notification step, the method for modifying the operation command is notified to the user.
5. In the notification step, the notification is to be displayed on the display unit. The information processing method according to claim 4, characterized by the above.
6. The information processing method according to claim 1, further characterized in that a modification step is performed to modify the operation command when the operation reaches the predetermined state.
7. The information processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that the predetermined state is contact between the trajectory and the obstacle in the operation.
8. The information processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that the predetermined state is that the trajectory in the operation includes a singularity of the robot.
9. The information processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that the predetermined state includes a state in which the trajectory in the operation is outside the range of motion of the robot.
10. The information processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that information on whether or not the predetermined state is in place is obtained from the operation command whose starting point has been changed by the modification.
11. The information processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that when the part handled by the robot is changed, the teaching point whose relative position with respect to the part is registered is considered to be the teaching point whose conditions have been changed.
12. The information processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that when the conditions of the TCP of the robot are changed, the teaching points associated with the TCP are considered to be teaching points whose conditions have been changed.
13. The information processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that when the installation conditions of the robot are changed, the teaching points associated with the robot are considered to be teaching points whose conditions have been changed.
14. In the acquisition process described above, if the conditions of the teaching points in the robot's operation are changed, multiple operation commands are acquired, including operation commands related to the teaching points whose conditions have been changed. In the notification step, the user is notified of the operation command among the acquired plurality of operation commands that is in the predetermined state. The information processing method according to feature 1.
15. If the robot and at least one device that synchronizes with the robot at a predetermined synchronization timing operate in the same area, and at least one of a plurality of operation commands between a first synchronization timing and a second synchronization timing has the aforementioned change, In the acquisition step, at least two operation commands are acquired from among the plurality of operation commands included between the first synchronization timing and the second synchronization timing, including the operation command having the modification. The information processing method according to claim 14, characterized by the above.
16. In the acquisition step, the at least two operation commands are an operation command including the modification and an operation command that is consecutive with the operation command including the modification. The information processing method according to claim 15, characterized by the above.
17. In the acquisition step, all of the plurality of operation commands included between the first synchronization timing and the second synchronization timing are acquired. The information processing method according to claim 16, characterized by the above.
18. An information processing device having a processing unit, The processing unit, when the conditions of a teaching point in the robot's operation are changed, acquires an operation command related to the teaching point whose conditions have been changed, and notifies the user of the operation command that is in a predetermined state in the acquired operation command. An information processing device characterized by the following:
19. A program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 17.
20. A computer-readable recording medium storing the program described in claim 19.
21. A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by manufacturing an article by operating the robot at the teaching points generated by the information processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 17.