Information processing device, information processing method, program, recording medium, program creation method, manufacturing device, robot, and method for manufacturing an article

Abstract

To solve a problem that it is difficult to easily set in advance a combination of element models for performing interference determination when presence or absence of interference is determined by simulating operation of a device model such as a robot in a virtual space.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes a display unit, an input unit, and a control unit. The control unit causes the display unit to display information related to element models handled in a virtual space, selects two element models from among the element models handled in the virtual space according to information input via the input unit and predetermined conditions, and determines presence or absence of interference between the two element models.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of production equipment, etc., there is a demand for shortening the time (start-up lead time) required from the start of the design of the equipment to actually operating the equipment and putting it into practical use. Therefore, instead of actually producing the production equipment and then using the actual equipment to verify design errors and bugs in the mechanical mechanism, a method is used in which the equipment is operated in a virtual space during the design stage to verify design errors and bugs. Even after the production equipment is produced, when changing or correcting the operating program, a method is sometimes used in which design errors and bugs in the mechanical mechanism and bugs in the operating program are verified in a virtual space before actually operating the equipment.

[0003] In addition, when teaching a robot device to perform operations such as assembly, transport, or coating, the burden on the worker during the teaching work is reduced by operating a model in a virtual space and verifying the teaching operation. Among these various types of operation verification, so-called interference judgment, which checks in a virtual space whether there is interference between the device to be operated and other objects, or between the components of the device to be operated, is highly useful.

[0004] Incidentally, as can be seen from the fact that an actual robot device is composed of many elements such as links, arms, and hands, the virtual models of devices and objects handled in virtual space are each composed of many element models. For this reason, when performing the above-mentioned collision detection, it is necessary to check in virtual space whether the element models constituting the virtual device or virtual object interfere with each other. However, when handling complex virtual devices or virtual objects composed of many element models, the number of combinations of element models for which collision detection is performed becomes large, and the amount of calculations and time required for simulation becomes enormous.

[0005] Patent Document 1 describes a collision determination device that registers combinations of objects that clearly cannot collide in advance in a table or the like, and when performing collision determination through simulation, excludes the registered objects from the determination targets, thereby shortening the time required for determination. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-2213592 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] As described in Patent Document 1, if it is possible to exclude in advance from the determination targets combinations of objects that clearly cannot collide (interfere), it is possible to reduce the amount of calculation and time required for the simulation. However, Patent Document 1 does not provide any detailed discussion of a method for pre-registering combinations of objects that clearly cannot collide (interfere), and only discloses that combinations shown in tabular form are stored in a judgment object table memory unit.

[0008] When the structures of devices or objects handled in virtual space are complex or there are many of them, the task of extracting and registering combinations that do not require collision detection from the many combinations of element models becomes cumbersome, placing an extremely heavy burden on the operator. As a result, the preparation work before starting a simulation takes time and effort, reducing the usefulness of using collision detection in design, debugging, teaching, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The first aspect of the present invention is Processing section The method comprises the steps of: Processing section The display unit displays information related to element models handled in the virtual space. a group information display section that displays information about a group to which an element model is associated;and the user inputting an element model into an area of ​​the group information display section that displays information about a specific group, thereby associating the element model selected by the user with the specific group; The present invention is an information processing device characterized by the above.

[0010] In addition, the second aspect of the present invention is Processing section An information processing method using an information processing device comprising: Processing section The display unit displays information related to element models handled in the virtual space. a group information display section that displays information about a group to which an element model is associated; Display The user inputs an element model into an area of ​​the group information display section that displays information about a specific group, thereby associating the element model selected by the user with the specific group. The information processing method is characterized in that Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, when simulating the operation of a device model such as a robot in a virtual space to determine the presence or absence of interference, a combination of element models for executing interference determination can be easily set. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 4 is an example of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a flowchart showing the overall procedure of an information processing method according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart for explaining the processing procedure of step 1 in detail. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart for explaining the processing procedure of step 2 in detail. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 13A is a diagram for explaining a procedure for creating a collision detection group, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing a state in which the collision detection group creation has been completed. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the registration process of an element model. [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing examples of dialog boxes displayed in the element model registration process. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a first condition when generating an interference checklist. [Figure 10]FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a second condition when generating an interference checklist. [Figure 11] (a) A diagram to explain the third condition when generating an interference checklist. (b) A diagram showing a part of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen displaying the excluded element model list. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] An information processing device, an information processing method, and the like according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples, and can be modified as appropriate by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In the drawings referred to in the following description of the embodiments, elements denoted by the same reference numbers have the same functions unless otherwise specified.

[0014] (Configuration of information processing device) The configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device 1 according to this embodiment. The information processing device 1 includes a CPU 10, a ROM 11, a RAM 12, a HDD 13, a disk drive 14, interfaces 15, 16, 17, and a bus 18, and each element is connected to be able to communicate with each other via the bus 18. The interface 15 is connected to an input device 19, the interface 16 is connected to a display 20, and the interface 17 is connected to a rewritable external storage device 21. The input device 19, the display 20, and the external storage device 21 may be treated as parts of the information processing device 1.

[0015] The ROM 11 stores a program for executing processing related to interference determination, and the CPU 10 can read and execute the program stored in the ROM 11. The RAM 12 is a storage area for temporarily storing data during processing. The HDD 13 stores a model, a simulation program, control information related to a taught operation, or information related thereto. The HDD 13 can also store the results of processing by the information processing program. The disk drive 14 can read data recorded on a recording disk, which is an example of a recording medium, and can write a model, a simulation program, or information related thereto to the recording disk.

[0016] The CPU 10 (control unit) can receive commands and data input from an input device 19 (input unit) via an interface 15. The CPU 10 (control unit) can also display various information on the screen of a display 20 (display unit) via an interface 16. The input device 19 can be, for example, an input device such as a keyboard, a jog dial, a mouse, a pointing device, or a voice input device, and the display 20 can be, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The CPU 10 can also store and read models, simulation programs, or information related thereto in a rewritable external storage device 21 via an interface 17.

[0017] (Information processing method) Next, an information processing method executed by the information processing device 1, that is, a procedure for setting element models for performing collision detection and performing collision detection for combinations of the set element models, will be described. Note that devices and objects handled in virtual space are often composed of multiple element models, but there are also cases where they can be handled as a single model, such as objects with simple shapes. For convenience of explanation, the term "element model" will be used below to refer to such models that can be handled as a single unit, unless there is a particular problem.

[0018] 1 shows an example of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen displayed on a display 20 (FIG. 5) when the information processing method of this embodiment is carried out. The GUI screen 100 includes an element model setting section 30, a model display section 40, and a model information display section 50.

[0019] The element model setting unit 30 is configured to include buttons (information selection units) such as 301, 303, and 307 that can be operated by the user when setting an element model for which interference detection is performed, and areas such as 302, 304, and 306 that display information that can be edited by the user.

[0020] The model display unit 40 is a part that displays, in 3D graphics, virtual devices and virtual objects handled in a virtual space. In the example of Fig. 1, the model display unit 40 displays a robot 1 configured with element models 400 to 407, a robot 2 configured with element models 410 to 417, workpieces 421 to 424, a stand 420, etc., in a bird's-eye view.

[0021] The model information display section 50 is a section that displays the connection relationships and hierarchical structure of element models, etc. In the example of Fig. 1, the model information display section 50 displays model information 500-507 related to robot 1, model information 510-517 related to robot 2, and model information 520-524 related to workpieces, etc. In this embodiment, information processing is performed using the above-mentioned GUI screen 100.

[0022] 2 is a flowchart showing the overall procedure of the information processing method according to this embodiment. When information processing is started, in step 1, an element model for which interference judgment is performed is set from among all element models handled in virtual space. Then, in step 2, a simulation is performed in virtual space to check whether interference occurs for the element model set in step 1, and the presence or absence of interference is judged. Then, in step 3, the judgment result is output. Steps 1 to 3 will be described in detail below.

[0023] 3 is a flowchart for explaining in detail the processing procedure of step 1. When step 1 is started, a collision detection group creation process is executed in step 1-1. Among the devices and objects handled in the virtual space, there are those for which it is necessary to check for the occurrence of interference, such as a moving robot device, and those for which it is not necessary to check for the occurrence of interference, such as between stationary objects placed at a distance. Therefore, it is necessary to select those for which interference judgment is required, and it may be convenient to handle, for example, the robot 1 composed of element models 400 to 407 as one group. Similarly, it may be convenient to handle the robot 2 composed of element models 410 to 417 and the workpieces 421 to 424 placed in close proximity as one group, respectively.

[0024] Therefore, when performing interference detection, a group of element models that are treated as one group are set as an interference detection group for convenience, and each interference detection group is set to an arbitrary name that is easy for the operator to identify. Note that even if there is a single object, an object that requires interference detection, such as an object placed near the robot device, is treated as one interference detection group even if it is a single object.

[0025] The process of step 1-1 will be described with reference to FIG. 6(a) to FIG. 6(b). When the process is started, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the CPU 10 is in a state where it can accept that a new creation button 301 arranged in the element model setting section 30 of the GUI screen is turned on. When the operator turns on the new creation button 301 via the input device 19, the CPU 10 is in a state where it can accept that a name is input to the group name setting section 304. The operator can assign any name that is convenient for identification to the collision detection group via the input device 19. When multiple collision detection groups are generated, a unique name that does not overlap with other collision detection groups is set, so that a warning may be displayed to the operator when a name that has already been set is re-input. In addition, by operating the collision detection group enable check box 305 with the created collision detection group selected, it is possible to switch between enable and disable of the created collision detection group. FIG. 6(b) shows a state where the creation of a collision detection group named ROBOT1 is completed and the collision detection group is displayed in the collision detection group list display section 302 as a valid collision detection group. If, for editing reasons or the like, the operator wishes to delete a collision detection group that has been created from the collision detection group list, the operator can simply turn on a collision detection group deletion button 303 .

[0026] 3, the CPU 10 executes a registration process for an element model. That is, for each of the collision detection groups created in step 1-1, the CPU 10 accepts an element model registration operation by the operator. As shown in Fig. 7, the operator operates the input device 19 to input the element model to be registered in the collision detection group displayed in the collision detection group list display unit 302 to the node list display unit 306. Specifically, the processing program of the CPU 10 is configured so that the element model to be registered from among those displayed in the model display unit 40 or the model information display unit 50 can be dragged and dropped onto the node list display unit 306 using, for example, a mouse. Alternatively, the processing program of the CPU 10 may be configured so that the operator can input the element model to be registered into the node list display unit 306 using a keyboard, or the processing program of the CPU 10 may be configured so as to accept other input methods. It is convenient to configure the processing program of the CPU 10 so that the operator can simultaneously register multiple element models with a single operation.

[0027] In order to reduce the input load on the operator, for example, for an object such as robot 1 or robot 2, whose element models are linked and displayed in the model information display unit 50, the entire object may be registered by simply inputting a part of the object. In the case of robot 1, in which element models are linked hierarchically, the entire robot 1 may be registered when the element model (ROBOT1_J0) closest to the base point of the hierarchical structure is input. On the other hand, in order to accommodate the case where only (ROBOT1_J0) is to be registered, a dialog box 308 (information selection section) may be displayed as shown in FIG. 8, and the operator may select whether to register only the element model or the entire group of linked element models. In this example, when the operator selects "Register one item" in the dialog box 308, only the element model (ROBOT1_J0) is registered as shown in the upper right of FIG. 8. When the operator selects "Register child series as well" in the dialog box 308, the element models linked to (ROBOT1_J0) are registered as a whole as shown in the lower right of FIG. 8.

[0028] The registered element model is displayed in a node list display section 306. In addition, by selecting an element model displayed in the node list display section 306 and turning on a node deletion button 307, the element model can be deleted from the collision detection group. Note that, in order to prevent the element model to be registered from being confused with other element models, each element model is assigned identifiable information such as a unique model name or model ID and registered. The registered information is stored, for example, in the HDD 13 (FIG. 5). This completes the element model registration process in step 1-2 (FIG. 3).

[0029] Next, in step 1-3, a process is performed to generate or edit an interference checklist. Here, an interference checklist is a list that lists combinations of element models (element model pairs) for which interference detection is performed. CPU 10 automatically generates or edits the interference checklist using information related to the interference detection group registered in step 1-2. The processing program for generating the interference checklist is configured to be able to execute processing in accordance with the following algorithm.

[0030] First, the CPU 10 selects any two element models from among the element models included in all of the collision detection groups, and registers in the collision check list only those element model pairs that meet a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition will be described below.

[0031] The first condition is that only a combination of two element models selected from a registered collision detection group can be registered in the interference checklist. In other words, even if an element model constitutes a device or object handled in virtual space, if that element model is not registered in a collision detection group, the element model pair including that element model will not be registered in the interference checklist.

[0032] 9, assume that the models handled in the virtual space include a robot device registered as collision detection group A, a robot device registered as collision detection group B, and an object C model that is not registered in any collision detection group. In this case, only element model pairs that combine element models selected from collision detection group A or collision detection group B can be registered in the interference checklist, and element model pairs that include an element model that constitutes object C cannot be registered.

[0033] The second condition is that only element model pairs that combine element models that are included in different collision detection groups can be registered in the interference checklist. In other words, element model pairs that combine element models that are included in the same collision detection group will not be registered in the interference checklist.

[0034] For example, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 10, assume that in step 1-2, robot 1 including element model 1 to element model 5 is registered as collision detection group A, and robot 2 including element model 6 to element model 10 is registered as collision detection group B. In this case, CPU 10 automatically generates an interference check list as shown in the lower part of Fig. 10 based on the node list of collision detection group A and the node list of collision detection group B. At that time, an element model pair that combines only element models 1 to 5 included in collision detection group A, and an element model pair that combines only element models 6 to 10 included in collision detection group B are not registered in the interference check list.

[0035] As a third condition, when the same element model is commonly included in different collision detection groups, the element model pair including the common element model is not registered in the interference checklist.

[0036] For example, as shown in Fig. 11(a), suppose that a robot and the stand supporting it are registered as interference detection group A, and a workpiece and the stand supporting it are registered as interference detection group B. In this case, the same stand is included in both interference detection group A and interference detection group B, but an element model pair that includes an element model of this stand is not registered in the interference checklist. Only element model pairs that combine an element model that constitutes a robot with an element model that constitutes a workpiece can be registered in the interference checklist.

[0037] If there are element models that are excluded from interference detection due to these conditions, then for the convenience of the operator, it is desirable to display them on the GUI screen 100. For example, the processing program of the CPU 10 may be configured to display an excluded element model list 309 in the element model setting unit 30, as shown in Fig. 11(b).

[0038] As described above, by executing the processing of steps 1-3 (FIG. 3), only combinations (element model pairs) that meet predetermined conditions are registered in the interference checklist, and the entire processing of step 1 (FIG. 2) is completed.

[0039] When the process of step 1 is completed, the CPU 10 executes step 2 (FIG. 2), that is, an interference determination process. The process of step 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When step 2 is started, first, in step 2-1, the CPU 10 reads out one element model pair from the registered interference check list (interference check list reference process).

[0040] Next, proceed to step 2-2, and detect the area occupied in the virtual space by each of the element models constituting the element model pair read out in step 2-1 (occupied area detection process). For example, if the element model is a member constituting a part of a robot, the CPU 10 calculates the position and orientation of the element model in the virtual space based on the position and orientation information taught to the robot. Then, read information on the shape of the element model from the HDD 13 (FIG. 5), place the element model in the virtual space based on the calculated position and orientation, and detect the coordinates of the area occupied by the element model. Also, for example, if the element model is a workpiece placed on a stand, the CPU 10 obtains information on the position and orientation of the workpiece, reads information on the shape from the HDD 13 (FIG. 5), and detects the coordinates of the area occupied by the element model. Note that the method of detecting the area occupied by the element model in the virtual space is not limited to the above-mentioned method, and any appropriate method can be used.

[0041] Next, the process proceeds to step 2-3, where it is determined whether there are any overlapping areas in the areas occupied by the two element models detected in step 2-2 (interference determination process). There are various known methods for detecting overlapping areas, such as comparing coordinates in a virtual space, and an appropriate method can be selected and implemented. If there is an overlapping area, the CPU 10 determines that there is interference, and if there is no overlapping area, there is no interference. The determination result of step 2-3, i.e., the presence or absence of interference for one element model pair in the interference checklist, is recorded, for example, in the HDD 13 (FIG. 5).

[0042] Next, the process proceeds to step 2-4, where the CPU 10 checks whether interference determination has been completed for all element model pairs registered in the interference check list. If interference determination has not been completed for all element model pairs (step 2-4: NO), the CPU 10 returns to the process of step 2-1, reads out element model pairs for which determination has not been completed from the interference check list, and executes the processes from step 2-2 onward. If interference determination has been completed for all element model pairs (step 2-4: YES), the CPU 10 ends the process of step 2.

[0043] When the process of step 2 is completed, the CPU 10 executes the process of step 3 (FIG. 2). That is, the CPU 10 reads out the determination result recorded in the HDD 13 (FIG. 5) and displays it on the GUI screen 100.

[0044] When all element model pairs in the interference checklist are judged to be "no interference," a message saying "no interference" is displayed, for example, on the GUI screen 100. Alternatively, in the model displayed on the model display unit 40, the parts corresponding to the element model pairs for which interference has been judged may be colored in a color representing "no interference" (for example, green) and displayed graphically. Alternatively, the message "no interference" may be output by voice synthesis.

[0045] If there is an element model pair determined to have "interfered" in the interference checklist, a message saying "interference exists" is displayed on the GUI screen 100, for example. Alternatively, among the models displayed in the model display unit 40, the parts corresponding to the element model pairs determined to have interfered may be displayed graphically in a color indicating "interference exists" (for example, red). Alternatively, the message "interference exists" may be output by voice synthesis. Furthermore, among the collision detection groups displayed in the collision detection group list display unit 302 and / or the element models displayed in the node list display unit 306, those corresponding to "interference exists" may be displayed in a color indicating "interference exists" (for example, red).

[0046] Furthermore, the method of outputting the judgment result is not limited to displaying it on the GUI screen 100, but the interference judgment result may be recorded in the external storage device 21 (FIG. 5) in the form of log data in text format or the like, or may be output to an external computer via a network.

[0047] According to this embodiment, the operator can easily perform the task of setting the parts to be subject to interference check using the GUI screen 100. At that time, by displaying element models that were not set as interference check targets on the GUI screen 100, for example as shown in Fig. 11(b), the operator can easily check whether there are any omissions in the interference check targets. Moreover, because combinations of element models that meet predetermined conditions can be easily set as interference check targets, the calculation load of the interference detection process can be significantly reduced compared to the case where all combinations of element models in the virtual space are set as interference check targets.

[0048] [Other embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and many modifications are possible within the technical concept of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment, the control program for executing the process related to the interference determination is stored in the ROM 11, which is a computer-readable recording medium, but the present invention is not limited to this. The control program may be recorded in any recording medium as long as it is a computer-readable recording medium. For example, a device such as the HDD 13 or the external storage device 21 may be used as a recording medium for supplying the program to the CPU 10. To give a specific example, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory such as a USB memory, an SSD, etc. may be used as the recording medium.

[0049] The information processing method and information processing device of the present invention can be applied to software design, debugging, teaching, etc. of various machines and equipment, including production equipment, industrial robots, service robots, processing machines operated by computer numerical control, etc. For example, the present invention can be widely applied to interference checks of machines and equipment that can automatically perform operations such as expansion and contraction, bending and stretching, vertical movement, horizontal movement, or rotation, or a combination of these operations, based on information from a storage device provided in a control device.

[0050] An embodiment of the present invention also includes a program generation method that uses the information processing method of the present invention to operate a model of a manufacturing equipment in a virtual space to determine whether or not interference occurs, and generates an operation program for the manufacturing equipment based on the determination results.

[0051] The information processing device of the embodiment may be connected to an actual industrial robot device or the like. In that case, the operation program for which the information processing device of the embodiment performs the interference judgment in the virtual space may be simulated online using a real machine, or the operation program after debugging based on the interference judgment may be used to operate the real machine to manufacture an article. In that case, the information processing device of the embodiment may be used as a control device for an automatic machine, and the operation program for which the interference judgment is performed using the information processing method of the embodiment may be used as a control program for the automatic machine. For example, the interference judgment according to the present invention is performed while executing an operation program for assembling, processing, transporting, inspecting, etc. of an article by a robot device in a virtual space. Then, for a part of the operation program for which interference is judged to exist, the control unit may automatically change the path to correct the operation program, and the corrected operation program may be judged for interference again. In this way, the present invention may be implemented as a method for manufacturing an article in which the operation program is debugged using the result of the interference judgment until it is judged that there is no interference, and the robot device is operated using the generated operation program to manufacture the article.

[0052] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more functions of the embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1···Information processing device / 10···CPU / 11··ROM / 12··RAM / 13··HDD / 14··Disk drive / 15~17··Interface / 18···Bus / 19··Input device / 20··Display / 21··External storage device / 30···Element model setting section / 40···Model display section / 50···Model information display section / 100···GUI screen / 301···New creation button / 302···Interference detection group list display section / 303 ···Delete interference detection group button / 304 ···Group name setting section / 305 ···Enable interference detection group check box / 306 ···Node list display section / 307 ···Delete node button / 308 ···Dialog box / 309 ···Excluded element model list / 400-407, 410-417 ···Element model / 420 ···Frame / 421-424 ···Workpiece / 500-507, 510-517, 520-524 ···Model information

Claims

1. A processing unit is provided, The processing unit includes: a display unit that displays information related to element models handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit that displays information related to groups to which the element models are associated; a user inputs an element model into an area of ​​the group information display section that displays information about a specific group, thereby associating the element model selected by the user with the specific group; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

2. A processing unit is provided, The processing unit includes: a display unit that displays a model information display unit that displays a connection relationship between at least two element models handled in a virtual space, and a group information display unit that displays information related to a group to which the element models are associated; a user moves at least one of the element models displayed in the model information display section to an area in the group information display section that displays information about a predetermined group, thereby making it possible to associate the moved element model and an element model that is in a link relationship with the moved element model with the predetermined group; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

3. A processing unit is provided, The processing unit includes: a display unit that displays a model information display unit that displays a connection relationship between at least two element models handled in a virtual space, and a group information display unit that displays information related to a group to which the element models are associated; a user moves at least one of the element models displayed in the model information display section to an area in the group information display section that displays information about a predetermined group, and the user can select whether to associate only the moved element model with the predetermined group, or to associate the moved element model and an element model that is connected to the moved element model with the predetermined group; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

4. In the information processing device according to claim 2 or 3, The processing unit includes: a model display section in which an element model is displayed in a virtual space is displayed on the display section; a user moves the element model displayed in the model display section to an area in the group information display section that displays information about the predetermined group, thereby associating the element model selected by the user with the predetermined group; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

5. 5. The information processing device according to claim 1, Input or movement of element models is performed by drag and drop.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

6. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The processing unit includes: a user can input an element model into an area of ​​the group information display section that displays information about the predetermined group, thereby associating the input element model with an element model that is connected to the input element model, with the predetermined group; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

7. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The processing unit includes: a user inputs an element model into an area of ​​the group information display section that displays information about the specified group, and the user can select whether to associate only the input element model with the specified group, or to associate the input element model and an element model that is connected to the input element model with the specified group; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

8. 8. The information processing device according to claim 5, The processing unit includes: a dialog box is displayed on the display unit, allowing the user to select whether to associate only the moved or input element model with the specified group, or to associate the moved or input element model and an element model connected to the moved or input element model with the specified group; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

9. In the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The processing unit includes: an element model associated with the predetermined group is displayed on the group information display unit as information about the predetermined group; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

10. A processing unit is provided, The processing unit includes: displaying, on a display unit, information related to an element model handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit displaying information related to a predetermined group associated with an element model selected by a user through a predetermined operation; When setting the name of the predetermined group, if the name has already been set for another group, notify the user.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

11. A processing unit is provided, The processing unit includes: displaying, on a display unit, information related to an element model handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit displaying information related to a predetermined group associated with an element model selected by a user through a predetermined operation; A user can set whether or not to treat the predetermined group as one group when performing interference determination.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

12. A processing unit is provided, The processing unit includes: displaying, on a display unit, information related to an element model handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit displaying information related to a predetermined group associated with an element model selected by a user through a predetermined operation; a first button for creating a new predetermined group and a second button for deleting the predetermined group are displayed on the display unit; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

13. In the information processing device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, the group information display unit displays a list of names of the predetermined groups as information about the predetermined groups.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

14. A processing unit is provided, The processing unit includes: displaying, on a display unit, information related to an element model handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit displaying information related to a predetermined group associated with an element model selected by a user through a predetermined operation; A first group and a second group are set as the predetermined group, In determining interference of element models, determining interference is performed for a combination of the element models of the first group and the element models of the second group, and determining interference is not performed for a combination of only the element models of the first group and a combination of only the element models of the second group; No determination of interference between the element models included in the first group and the second group is performed.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

15. A processing unit is provided, The processing unit includes: displaying, on a display unit, information related to an element model handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit displaying information related to a predetermined group associated with an element model selected by a user through a predetermined operation; The interference determination is not performed for element models in the predetermined group that is not selected by the user as a group for which interference determination is to be performed.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

16. 16. The information processing device according to claim 14, The processing unit displays a result of determining whether or not there is interference on the display unit.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

17. 17. The information processing device according to claim 16, The processing unit includes: displaying a message on the display unit indicating the presence or absence of interference, or displaying a graphic representation of an element model having interference in a specific color on the display unit, or displaying a list of element models having interference in a specific color on the display unit; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

18. 16. The information processing device according to claim 14, The processing unit outputs a result of determining whether or not there is interference by voice.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

19. 16. The information processing device according to claim 14, The processing unit outputs a result of determining whether or not there is interference as log data in a text format.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

20. 20. The information processing device according to claim 1, The processing unit regards element models constituting a specific robot as element models in a connected relationship.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

21. 21. The information processing device according to claim 1 , Each element model is given identifiable information.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

22. An information processing method using an information processing device having a processing unit, The processing unit includes: a display unit that displays information related to element models handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit that displays information related to groups to which the element models are associated; a user inputs an element model into an area of ​​the group information display section that displays information about a specific group, thereby associating the element model selected by the user with the specific group; 23. An information processing method comprising:

23. An information processing method using an information processing device having a processing unit, The processing unit includes: a display unit that displays a model information display unit that displays a connection relationship between at least two element models handled in a virtual space, and a group information display unit that displays information related to a group to which the element models are associated; a user moves at least one of the element models displayed in the model information display section to an area in the group information display section that displays information about a predetermined group, thereby making it possible to associate the moved element model and an element model that is in a link relationship with the moved element model with the predetermined group; 23. An information processing method comprising:

24. An information processing method using an information processing device having a processing unit, The processing unit includes: a display unit that displays a model information display unit that displays a connection relationship between at least two element models handled in a virtual space, and a group information display unit that displays information related to a group to which the element models are associated; a user moves at least one of the element models displayed in the model information display section to an area in the group information display section that displays information about a predetermined group, and the user can select whether to associate only the moved element model with the predetermined group, or to associate the moved element model and an element model that is connected to the moved element model with the predetermined group; 23. An information processing method comprising:

25. The information processing method according to any one of claims 22 to 24, The processing unit includes: an element model associated with the predetermined group is displayed on the group information display unit as information about the predetermined group; 23. An information processing method comprising:

26. An information processing method using an information processing device having a processing unit, The processing unit includes: displaying, on a display unit, information related to an element model handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit displaying information related to a predetermined group associated with an element model selected by a user through a predetermined operation; When setting the name of the predetermined group, if the name has already been set for another group, notify the user.

23. An information processing method comprising:

27. ​​An information processing method using an information processing device having a processing unit, The processing unit includes: displaying, on a display unit, information related to an element model handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit displaying information related to a predetermined group associated with an element model selected by a user through a predetermined operation; A user can set whether or not to treat the predetermined group as one group when performing interference determination.

23. An information processing method comprising:

28. An information processing method using an information processing device having a processing unit, The processing unit includes: displaying, on a display unit, information related to an element model handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit displaying information related to a predetermined group associated with an element model selected by a user through a predetermined operation; a first button for creating a new predetermined group and a second button for deleting the predetermined group are displayed on the display unit; 23. An information processing method comprising:

29. An information processing method according to any one of claims 26 to 28, The processing unit includes: the group information display unit displays a list of names of the predetermined groups as information about the predetermined groups.

23. An information processing method comprising:

30. An information processing method using an information processing device having a processing unit, The processing unit includes: displaying, on a display unit, information related to an element model handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit displaying information related to a predetermined group associated with an element model selected by a user through a predetermined operation; A first group and a second group are set as the predetermined group, In determining interference of element models, determining interference is performed for a combination of the element models of the first group and the element models of the second group, and determining interference is not performed for a combination of only the element models of the first group and a combination of only the element models of the second group; No determination of interference between the element models included in the first group and the second group is performed.

23. An information processing method comprising:

31. An information processing method using an information processing device having a processing unit, The processing unit includes: displaying, on a display unit, information related to an element model handled in the virtual space and a group information display unit displaying information related to a predetermined group associated with an element model selected by a user through a predetermined operation; The interference determination is not performed for element models in the predetermined group that is not selected by the user as a group for which interference determination is to be performed.

23. An information processing method comprising:

32. A program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to any one of claims 22 to 31.

33. A computer-readable recording medium having the program according to claim 32 recorded thereon.

34. 32. The information processing method according to claim 22, wherein a model of a manufacturing device is operated in a virtual space to determine whether or not interference occurs, and an operation program for the manufacturing device is generated based on the determination result. A program generating method comprising:

35. A manufacturing device that uses an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 21 to operate a model of the manufacturing device in a virtual space to determine whether or not there is interference, and that performs control using an operating program created based on the determination results.

36. A robot that uses an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 21 to operate a robot model in a virtual space to determine whether or not there is interference, and is controlled using an operating program created based on the results of the determination.

37. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising the steps of: manufacturing an article by using the manufacturing apparatus according to claim 35; or the robot according to claim 36.

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