Selection device, simulation device, and communication control device

Abstract

The present invention reduces position data to a quantity which can be processed in physical simulation, to thereby stabilize processing time of the physical simulation and prevent a loss of a real-time property.　Provided is a selection device for selecting position data indicating a path of a movable part included in an industrial machine when executing physical simulation that treats the movable part as an observation target, the selection device comprising: a holding unit that holds the position data in association with time-series information; a range determination unit that determines a lower limit time and an upper limit time indicating a range for the position data from among the position data held by the holding unit; a number-of-pieces-of-data determination unit that determines the number of pieces of position data to be selected from among the position data in the range in consideration of a processing load of the physical simulation; and a selection unit that selects the set number of pieces of position data from among the position data in the range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a selection device, a simulation device, and a communication control device.

Background Art

[0002] There is a technology for performing physical simulation based on position data of a movable part (control axis) of an industrial machine such as a machine tool or a robot to be observed and a three-dimensional model of other objects such as the movable part and a workpiece. For example, a fixed time that is a check time indicating the time required for physical simulation is added and calculated as a lead time, and based on the look-ahead block command data, the position after the above lead time is calculated as a lead position, and physical simulation is performed based on this. When it is determined that the movable part and other objects interfere with each other, there is a known technique for decelerating and stopping the movable part to prevent interference. For example, see Patent Document 1. In addition, when the time required for physical simulation is large, there is a problem that the accuracy of physical simulation decreases because the physical simulation cycle becomes large. Therefore, as a technique for ensuring accuracy, there is a known technique for ensuring the accuracy of simulation while reducing the processing time by selecting position data important for some physical simulations and checking only the selected position data. For example, see Patent Document 2.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When real-time performance is required for physical simulations such as interference checking during the operation of industrial machines, it may be desirable to improve the accuracy as much as possible while ensuring the processing time of the physical simulation. Also, in Patent Document 2, although the accuracy is ensured, the position data is not necessarily reduced to the amount that can be processed by the physical simulation, so the processing time of the physical simulation may increase, and thus it may not be applicable to physical simulations where real-time performance needs to be ensured. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, in the case of groove machining by continuous circular motion, a tool such as an end mill moves along the command path while tracing a circular shape on the workpiece surface, enabling the machining of a groove larger than the tool diameter. However, since the angle difference of the path direction vector is constant, all position data may be output without being selectable.

[0005] Therefore, it is desired to reduce the position data to the amount that can be processed by the physical simulation, so that the processing time of the physical simulation is stabilized and the real-time performance is not impaired.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] (1) One aspect of the selection device of the present disclosure is a selection device that selects position data indicating the path of a movable part included in an industrial machine when performing a physical simulation with the movable part as an observation target, including a holding part that holds the position data associated with time-series information, a range determination part that determines a lower limit time and an upper limit time indicating a range for selecting the position data among the position data held by the holding part, a data number determination part that sets the number of position data to be selected among the position data within the range in consideration of the processing load of the physical simulation, and a selection part that selects the set number of position data among the position data within the range.

[0007] (2) One aspect of the simulation device of the present disclosure is a simulation device that performs a physical simulation of the observation target, and includes: the selection device of (1); a simulation unit that performs the physical simulation using the position data selected by the selection device; and a processing state acquisition unit that acquires information including either the load of the simulation unit or the completion status of the physical simulation in the simulation unit.

[0008] (3) One aspect of the communication control device of the present disclosure is a communication control device communicably connected to a simulation device that performs a physical simulation of the observation target, and includes: the selection device of (1); a position data output unit that transfers the position data selected by the selection device to the simulation device; and a processing state input unit that inputs information including at least any one of the load of the hardware of the simulation device, the completion status of the physical simulation at a predetermined time, or the output command of the position data from the simulation device from the simulation device.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to one aspect, it is possible to reduce the position data to an amount that can be processed by the physical simulation, stabilize the processing time of the physical simulation, and prevent the real-time performance from being impaired.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] Regarding a specific embodiment of the control device, a numerical control device will be exemplified and described as the control device. Note that the present invention is not limited to a numerical control device, and is applicable to, for example, a robot control device that controls an industrial robot or the like. Further, it is applicable to a control device that controls any industrial machine. Here, the industrial machine includes various machines such as, for example, a machine tool, an industrial robot, a service robot, a forging machine, and an injection molding machine.

[0012] <One Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration example of an interference check system according to one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the interference check system 1 includes a selection device 10, a numerical control device 20, and an interference check device 30.

[0013] The selection device 10, the numerical control device 20, and the interference check device 30 may be directly connected to each other via a connection interface (not shown). Further, the selection device 10, the numerical control device 20, and the interference check device 30 may be interconnected via a network (not shown) such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. In this case, the selection device 10, the numerical control device 20, and the interference check device 30 are provided with a communication unit (not shown) for communicating with each other by such a connection.

[0014] <Numerical control device 20> The numerical control device 20 is a numerical control device known to those skilled in the art. For example, based on a machining program obtained from a CAD / CAM device (not shown) or the like, it generates an operation command and transmits the generated operation command to a machine tool (not shown). Thereby, the numerical control device 20 controls the operation of the machine tool (not shown). In addition, the numerical control device 20 outputs the command position for each block of the machining program included in the operation command and the position for each interpolation cycle as position data, associating it with the time series information, to the selection device 10 described later. Note that when the machine tool (not shown) is a robot or the like, the numerical control device 20 may be a robot control device or the like.

[0015] <Interference check device 30> The interference check device 30 is, for example, a computer or the like. It stores in advance the contour shapes of tools and workpieces, the contour shapes of machines, etc., and checks whether interference occurs between the tool and other objects such as the workpiece based on the position of the movable part of the observation target included in the machine tool (not shown) sent from the selection device 10. The interference check device 30 transmits interference check processing completion information including the time required for the interference check processing to the selection device 10. Further, the interference check device 30 may output an axis stop signal to the numerical control device 20 when it is determined that interference has occurred.

[0016] <Selection device 10> The selection device 10 is, for example, a computer or the like. As will be described later, among the position data received from the numerical control device 20, it preferentially selects a command position that ensures the real-time performance of the physical simulation in the interference checking device 30 and reduces the error between the physical simulation and the movable part (control axis) of the observation target. The selection device 10 outputs the selected position data to the interference checking device 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the selection device 10 includes a holding unit 110 and a control unit 120. The control unit 120 includes a range determination unit 121, a data number determination unit 122, and a selection unit 123.

[0017] The holding unit 110 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like, and holds the position data linked to the time series information received from the numerical control device 20. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the position data held by the holding unit 110. As shown in FIG. 2, the holding unit 110 associates and holds the command position received from the selection device 10 and the position for each interpolation period (for example, P(t i ) etc.) with the time (for example, t i etc.) when each of the command position and the position for each interpolation period was commanded (i is an integer of 1 or more). Note that when the holding unit 110 receives a command position from the numerical control device 20, it is preferable to hold it using a state that can determine that it is the command position, such as a flag.

[0018] The control unit 120 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM, a CMOS (Complementary Metal - Oxide - Semiconductor) memory, etc., which are configured to be communicable with each other via a bus, and are well - known to those skilled in the art. The CPU is a processor that controls the entire selection device 10. The CPU reads out the system program and application program stored in the ROM via the bus, and controls the entire selection device 10 in accordance with the system program and application program. As a result, as shown in Fig. 1, the control unit 120 is configured to realize the functions of the range determination unit 121, the data number determination unit 122, and the selection unit 123. The CMOS memory is backed up by a battery (not shown), and is configured as a non-volatile memory that retains its stored state even when the power to the selection device 10 is turned off.

[0019] The range determination unit 121 determines, for example, a lower limit time T min (m) and upper limit time T max (m) (m is an integer equal to or greater than 1). min (m)≦t i <T max The location data that satisfies the condition in the range of (m) is set as a candidate location. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the data number determination unit 122 (described later) receives interference check processing completion information from the interference check device 30, the current time T is measured based on the clock signal of a clock (not shown) included in the selection device 10 in the selection cycle for selecting the m-th position data. curr (m) The time N×T required for the interference check device 30 to perform the interference check process (physical simulation) using N pieces of position data. sim , the time T required for communication between the selection device 10 and the interference check device 30 com , the time it takes to decelerate and stop the moving part T stop , and a predetermined margin time α, the lower limit time T min (m) must satisfy the relationship in equation (1). T min (m)≧T curr (m)+N×T sim +T com +T stop +α (1) That is, the lower limit time T min(m) should be a lead time longer than the time it takes for the movable part to stop after the interference check device 30 performs an interference check. Note that T sim represents the time required for the interference check process (physical simulation) per piece of position data, and N represents an integer of 1 or more. The range determination unit 121 determines the shortest time (i.e., in the case of equality) at which the formula (1) holds as the lower limit time T min (m). Note that when the numerical control device 20 is at the start of the machining program, the range determination unit 121 may determine the lower limit time T min (m) at the timing when the start instruction of the machining program is received.

[0020] Also, in order to allocate all the position data in the holding unit 110 to the candidate positions in any selection cycle without excess or deficiency, the upper limit time T max in the m-th selection cycle and the lower limit time T min (m + 1) in the (m + 1)-th selection cycle need to satisfy the condition of the formula (2) as shown in FIG. 3. T max (m)=T min (m + 1)=T min (m)+N×T sim (2) The range determination unit 121 calculates the upper limit time T max (m) based on the formula (2). The range determination unit 121 notifies the selection unit 123, which will be described later, of the candidate positions of the position data within the range of the lower limit time T min (m)≦t i < upper limit time T max (m) among the position data held in the holding unit 110.

[0021] Here, the time T com required for communication between the selection device 10 and the interference check device 30 has almost no variation and is a constant value determined by the configuration of the system 1 in FIG. 1, and is a value obtained by measuring in advance. Also, the time T stop required for decelerating and stopping is a constant value determined according to the configuration of the numerical control device 20. On the other hand, the time N×T simis the time N×T required for interference check depending on the position of the movable part sim which changes. In particular, when controlling axes belonging to different systems or machines to work in a common working space, since there are a plurality of movable parts, the time N×T sim required for interference check depends on the operating positions of the plurality of movable parts sim and is different.

[0022] Therefore, the interference check device 30 includes the time required for the executed interference check in the interference check process completion information, and feeds back the interference check process completion information to the selection device 10. The selection device 10 (range determination unit 121) may use the time included in the interference check process completion information as the time N×T sim required for interference check. That is, the position of the movable part that has recently performed the interference check and the position of the movable part to be subjected to the next interference check are in a close positional relationship, and it is estimated that the time required for the next interference check is also approximately the same. The time required for the interference check executed immediately before is used as the time N×T sim required for this interference check. Alternatively, the range determination unit 121 may calculate and use the average value of the last several times as the time N×T sim required for interference check.

[0023] The data number determination unit 122 sets the number N of the position data to be selected among the position data within the range determined by the range determination unit 121 in consideration of the processing load of the physical simulation of the interference check device 30. Specifically, for example, the data number determination unit 122 refers to the interference check process completion information received from the interference check device 30, monitors the state of the interference check device 30 during automatic driving, and sets the number N of the position data to be selected by a selection unit 123 described later as soon as the interference check process is completed. Then, the data number determination unit 122 outputs a command to the selection unit 123 described later to select the position data of the set number N. Note that the number-of-data determination unit 122 may have the number N preset by the user via an input device (not shown) such as a keyboard or a touch panel included in the selection device 10. By doing so, each time the interference check process (physical simulation) in the interference check device 30 is completed, the selection device 10 selects N pieces of position data, thereby avoiding the situation where the interference check process (physical simulation) in the interference check device 30 becomes a ball-jamming state and slows down.

[0024] The selection unit 123 selects the set number N of position data within the range determined by the range determination unit 121 (candidate positions), for which the error between the physical simulation and the movable part of the observation target is small. Below, the operation of the selection unit 123 in the case where (A) the number N is set to "1" and there is one command position in the range determined by the range determination unit 121, and (B) the number N is set to "2" and there are four command positions in the range determined by the range determination unit 121 will be described.

[0025] (A) Case where the number N is set to "1" and there is one command position in the range determined by the range determination unit 121 FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a tool path. In FIG. 4, the command position for each block of the machining program is indicated by a triangle, and the position for each interpolation cycle is indicated by a circle. Also, in FIG. 4, the dashed arrow indicates rapid feed, and the solid arrow indicates cutting feed. Further, in FIG. 4, each section delimited by a dashed line is the selection cycle (candidate position) indicated by the lower limit time T min (m) and the upper limit time T max (m), and is the time T sim required for the interference check process (physical simulation) of one piece of position data by the interference check device 30. In this case, since there is one command position (triangle) in each selection cycle determined by the range determination unit 121, the selection unit 123 selects one command position set by the number-of-data determination unit 122. The selection unit 123 outputs the selected command position to the interference check device 30.

[0026] Note that, although the selection unit 123 selects the command position with the set number N = 1 when there is one command position within the determined range, it is not limited to this. For example, when the number N (≠ 1) is set and there are N or fewer command positions at the candidate positions determined by the range determination unit 121, the selection unit 123 may select the command positions. And when the number of selected command positions is less than N, the selection unit 123 may select position data in order from the position data close to the upper limit time T max (m) so that the total becomes N.

[0027] By doing so, the selection device 10 outputs a command position indicating the switching between the rapid feed and the cutting feed, and the interference check device 30 can execute the interference check process (physical simulation) separately for the rapid feed section and the cutting feed section. In addition, by outputting the command position, the selection device 10 can reduce the error between the physical simulation and the actual tool path, improve the accuracy of the physical simulation, and also improve the accuracy of the interference check.

[0028] Next, a comparison is made with Patent Document 1 as the prior art. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a position output to the interference check device 30 by the prior art among the tool paths in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, in Patent Document 1, the time T sim required for the interference check process (physical simulation) of the interference check device 30 corresponds to the time (that is, the lower limit time T min (m) or the upper limit time T max (m)) of the position, which is output to the interference check device 30. For this reason, in Patent Document 1, the switching between the rapid feed section (dashed arrow) and the cutting feed section (solid arrow) is unclear, and it is difficult to execute the interference check process (physical simulation) separately for the rapid feed section and the cutting feed section. In Patent Document 1, since the error (the area shown by hatching in Fig. 5) between the path of the interference check process (physical simulation) indicated by a thick solid line and the actual tool path is larger than that in the case of Fig. 4, there may be problems such as insufficient simulation accuracy, which may lead to failure to detect interference errors and prevent interference.

[0029] (B) Regarding the case where the number N is set to "2" and there are four command positions within the range determined by the range determination unit 121 Note that the case where the number N is set to "2" and there are four command positions within the range determined by the range determination unit 121 will be described. The same applies to the case where there are more than N command positions within the range determined by the range determination unit 121 for the set number N, and the description will be omitted. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a tool path. In Fig. 6, the tool advances along the tool path from left to right. Also, in Fig. 6, similar to the case of Fig. 4, the command position for each block of the machining program is indicated by a triangle, and the position for each interpolation period is indicated by a circle. Further, in Fig. 6, similar to the case of Fig. 4, each section separated by a dashed line is the selection period (candidate position) indicated by the lower limit time T min (m) and the upper limit time T max (m), and is the time 2T required for the interference check process (physical simulation) using two position data by the interference check device 30 sim is.

[0030] The selection unit 123 extracts four command positions P(t i+8 ), P(t i+13 ), P(t i+21 ), P(t i+26 ) from among the m-th selection period (candidate positions), and calculates the distance between adjacent command positions. The selection unit 123 selects the combination of command positions with the shortest distance, for example, P(t i+21 ) and P(t i+26 ). The selection unit 123 calculates the position of the midpoint between the selected command position P(t i+21 ) and the command position P(t i+26 ), and the position data closest to the calculated midpoint position, for example, the position P(t i+24Set it as the new command position. Next, the selection unit 123 calculates the distances between adjacent command positions among the three command positions P(t i+8 ), P(t i+13 ), and P(t i+24 ). The selection unit 123 selects the combination of command positions P(t i+8 ) and P(t i+13 ) with the shortest distance. The selection unit 123 calculates the position of the midpoint between the selected command position P(t i+8 ) and the command position P(t i+13 ), and sets the position data closest to the calculated midpoint position, for example, the position P(t i+11 ) indicated by a shaded circle, as the new command position. Then, since the number of command positions has become two, namely P(t i+11 ) and P(t i+24 ), the selection unit 123 outputs the two command positions P(t i+11 ), P(t i+24 ) to the interference checking device 30. The dashed line indicates the path of the interference check (physical simulation) executed by the interference checking device 30 using polyline approximation. As a result, the selection device 10 can select a path (position) obtained by approximating the path composed of candidate positions determined by the range determination unit 121 with N line segments. Also, since the selection device 10 is always reduced to two command positions within the selection period, the real-time performance of the physical simulation is ensured.

[0031] Next, compare with Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 as the prior art. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are diagrams showing an example of positions output to the interference checking device 30 by the prior art among the tool paths of FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 7, in Patent Document 1, the positions at each time required for the simulation per one position data of the interference checking device 30 are output to the interference checking device 30. For this reason, in Patent Document 1, since the error between the path indicated by the dashed line and the actual tool path is larger than that in the case of FIG. 6, it becomes difficult to perform the simulation considering the path error. Also, as shown in FIG. 8, in Patent Document 2, the position indicated by the shaded circle is selected. However, it is difficult to decimate the position data for each simulation time per one position data of the interference check device 30, and it is difficult to ensure the real-time performance of the simulation.

[0032] Note that the selection unit 123 selects two pieces of position data at the candidate positions where there are four command positions. However, the number N is preferably set according to the distribution of the command positions. FIG. 9A is a diagram showing an example when the number N is set to "1". FIG. 9B is a diagram showing an example when the number N is set to "4". In FIGS. 9A and 9B, the position P0 indicates the position data selected in the most recent selection cycle, and the positions S1 to S4 indicate the command positions after the selection cycle. As shown in FIG. 9A, when the number N is set to "1", the selection cycle is the time T required for the interference check process (physical simulation) using one piece of position data by the interference check device 30. sim Therefore, in the selection cycle where the command positions S1 to S3 exist, the selection unit 123 selects the position P1 as the command position of the selection cycle by broken line approximation. Then, the selection unit 123 outputs the selected position P1 to the interference check device 30. Also, in the next selection cycle, since there is only the command position S4, the selection unit 123 selects the command position S4 and outputs it to the interference check device 30. In this case, the interference check device 30 performs an interference check (physical simulation) on the path indicated by the dashed line connecting the positions P0, P1, and the command position S4, etc. For this reason, in the selection cycle where the command positions S1 to S3 exist, the error (the area indicated by the shading) between the path indicated by the dashed line and the actual tool path becomes large.

[0033] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the number N is set to "4", the selection cycle is the time 4×T required for the interference check process (physical simulation) using four pieces of position data by the interference check device 30. sim Therefore, the selection unit 123 can select all of the command positions S1 to S4. As a result, the interference checking device 30 can perform interference checking (physical simulation) on the path indicated by the dashed-dotted line connecting the command positions S1 to S4, etc., and can reduce the error between the path indicated by the dashed-dotted line and the actual tool path. That is, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the larger the value of the number N is set, the more freely the position can be selected and the higher the path accuracy tends to be. On the other hand, the larger the number N is set, the larger the difference between T curr (m) and T min (m) becomes, and thus the real-time performance is lost. Therefore, since the path accuracy and the real-time performance are in a trade-off relationship, it is preferable to individually set the number N according to the interference checking (physical simulation) to be performed.

[0034] <Selection process of the selection device 10> Next, with reference to FIG. 10, the flow of the selection process of the selection device 10 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the selection process of the selection device 10. The flow shown here is repeatedly executed every time the numerical control device 20 executes the machining program.

[0035] In step S11, the holding unit 110 holds, as position data, the command position and the position for each interpolation period associated with the time series information received from the numerical control device 20 when the numerical control device 20 executes the machining program.

[0036] In step S12, the range determination unit 121, based on the current time T curr (m) in the m-th selection period, Equation (1), and Equation (2), determines the lower limit time T min (m) and the upper limit time T max (m) indicating the range for selecting the position data among the position data held by the holding unit 110.

[0037] In step S13, the data number determination unit 122 determines whether or not interference check process completion information has been received. If the interference check process completion information has been received, the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if the interference check process completion information has not been received, the process returns to step S11. Note that, immediately after the numerical control device 20 executes the machining program, since the interference check device 30 has not executed the interference check process (physical simulation), the process of step S13 may be omitted.

[0038] In step S14, the data number determination unit 122 outputs a command to the selection unit 123 so as to select the position data of the set number N.

[0039] In step S15, the selection unit 123 selects N pieces of position data for each selection cycle. The selection unit 123 outputs the selected N pieces of position data to the interference check device 30.

[0040] In step S16, the selection unit 123 determines whether or not the execution of the machining program has ended. If the execution of the machining program has ended, the selection device 10 ends the selection process. On the other hand, if the execution of the machining program has not ended, the process returns to step S11.

[0041] As described above, the selection device 10 according to one embodiment is based on the current time T curr (m) at the m-th selection cycle, the lower limit time T min (m) which is the leading time that allows the movable part to stop after the interference check by the interference check device 30, and the time N×T min required for the interference check process (physical simulation) using N pieces of position data by the interference check device 30 at the lower limit time T sim is added to calculate the upper limit time T max (m), and N pieces of position data are selected for each selection cycle determined by the lower limit time T min (m) and the upper limit time T max (m), and the selected N pieces of position data are output to the interference check device 30. As a result, the selection device 10 can reduce the position data to an amount that can be processed by the interference check process (physical simulation), stabilize the processing time of the physical simulation, and prevent the real-time performance from being impaired. In addition, while ensuring real-time performance, the selection device 10 can select position data such that the error between the movable part (control axis) of the observation target and the interference check process (physical simulation) is reduced.

[0042] As described above, one embodiment has been explained. However, the selection device 10 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes modifications, improvements, etc. within the range that can achieve the object.

[0043] <Modification Example> In one embodiment, the selection device 10 is a device different from the numerical control device 20 and the interference check device 30, but is not limited to this. For example, the selection device 10 may be included in the interference check device 30. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the interference check system. Note that elements having the same functions as those of the selection device 10 in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. As shown in FIG. 11, the interference check system 1A includes a numerical control device 20 and an interference check device 30a as a simulation device. The numerical control device 20 and the interference check device 30a may be directly connected to each other via a connection interface (not shown). Also, the numerical control device 20 and the interference check device 30a may be connected to each other via a network (not shown) such as a LAN or the Internet.

[0044] The interference check device 30a includes a holding unit 110 and a control unit 120a. The control unit 120a includes a range determination unit 121, a data number determination unit 122, a selection unit 123, a simulation unit 124, and a processing state acquisition unit 125. The holding unit 110, the range determination unit 121, the data number determination unit 122, and the selection unit 123 have functions equivalent to those of the holding unit 110, the range determination unit 121, the data number determination unit 122, and the selection unit 123 of one embodiment. Then, the holding unit 110, the range determination unit 121, the data number determination unit 122, and the selection unit 123 function as the selection device 10 by cooperating with each other.

[0045] The simulation unit 124 performs interference check processing (physical simulation) using the position data selected by the selection unit 123. The simulation unit 124 outputs information including either the load of the simulation unit 124 or the completion status of the interference check processing (physical simulation) in the simulation unit 124 to the processing status acquisition unit 125 described later.

[0046] The processing status acquisition unit 125 acquires information including either the load of the simulation unit 124 or the completion status of the interference check processing (physical simulation) from the simulation unit 124. The processing status acquisition unit 125 outputs the acquired information to the data number determination unit 122 as the interference check processing completion status.

[0047] Further, the selection device 10 may be included in a communication control device that relays communication between the numerical control device 20 and the interference check device 30. FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the interference check system. Note that elements having the same functions as those of the elements of the selection device 10 in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. As shown in FIG. 12, the interference check system 1B includes a numerical control device 20, a communication control device 40, and an interference check device 30 as a simulation device. The numerical control device 20, the communication control device 40, and the interference check device 30 may be directly connected to each other via a connection interface (not shown). Further, the numerical control device 20, the communication control device 40, and the interference check device 30a may be connected to each other via a network (not shown) such as a LAN or the Internet.

[0048] The communication control device 40 includes a selection device 10 and an interface 45. The selection device 10 includes a holding unit 110 and a control unit 120. The control unit 120 includes a range determination unit 121, a data number determination unit 122, and a selection unit 123. The interface 45 includes a position data output unit 451 and a processing state input unit 452. The holding unit 110, the range determination unit 121, the data number determination unit 122, and the selection unit 123 have functions equivalent to those of the holding unit 110, the range determination unit 121, the data number determination unit 122, and the selection unit 123 in one embodiment.

[0049] The interface 45 controls communication between the communication control device 40 and the interference check device 30. The position data output unit 451 transfers the position data selected by the selection device 10 (selection unit 123) to the interference check device 30. The processing state input unit 452 inputs information including at least one of the load of the hardware of the interference check device 30, the completion status of the interference check process (physical simulation) at a predetermined time (for example, the lower limit time T min (m) or the upper limit time T max (m), etc.), or the output command of the position data from the interference check device 30, from the interference check device 30. The processing state input unit 452 outputs the acquired information as interference check process completion information to the selection device 10 (data number determination unit 122).

[0050] Note that each function included in the selection device 10 according to one embodiment can be realized by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Here, being realized by software means being realized by a computer reading and executing a program.

[0051] The program can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer readable media and supplied to a computer. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R / W, semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM). Also, the program may be supplied to the computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable media can supply the program to the computer via wired communication paths such as electric wires and optical fibers, or wireless communication paths.

[0052] Note that the steps of describing the program recorded on the recording medium include not only the processes performed in chronological order along that sequence, but also processes that are executed in parallel or individually, even if they are not necessarily processed in chronological order.

[0053] In other words, the selection device, simulation device, and communication control device of the present disclosure can take various embodiments having the following configurations.

[0054] (1) The selection device 10 of the present disclosure is a selection device that selects position data indicating the path of a movable part when performing physical simulation with the movable part included in an industrial machine as an observation target, and includes a holding unit 110 that holds the position data associated with time-series information, a range determination unit 121 that determines a lower limit time and an upper limit time indicating a range for selecting the position data among the position data held by the holding unit 110, a data number determination unit 122 that sets the number of position data to be selected among the position data within the range in consideration of the processing load of the physical simulation, and a selection unit 123 that selects the set number of position data among the position data within the range. According to this selection device 10, it is possible to reduce the position data to an amount that can be processed by physical simulation, stabilize the processing time of the physical simulation, and prevent the real-time performance from being impaired.

[0055] (2) In the selection device 10 described in (1), the position data may include a commanded position to the movable part. By doing so, the selection device 10 can select position data that reduces the error between the trajectory of the interference check (physical simulation) and the actual trajectory.

[0056] (3) In the selection device 10 described in (1) or (2), when there are commanded positions equal to or less than the number set by the data number determination unit 122 within the range determined by the range determination unit 121, the selection unit 123 may preferentially select from the commanded positions. By doing so, the selection device 10 can reduce the error between the path of the interference check process (physical simulation) and the actual path by preferentially selecting the commanded positions.

[0057] (4) In the selection device 10 described in any one of (1) to (3), the selection unit 123 may approximate the path with the set number of position data by a polyline and select the position data obtained by the approximation. By doing so, the selection device 10 can select optimal position data for each selection cycle.

[0058] (5) The interference check device 30a of the present disclosure is a simulation device that performs a physical simulation of an object to be observed, and includes a selection device 10 of any one of (1) to (4), a simulation unit 124 that performs a physical simulation using position data selected by the selection device 10, and a processing status acquisition unit 125 that acquires information including either the load on the simulation unit 124 or the completion status of the physical simulation in the simulation unit 124. According to this interference check device 30a, it is possible to achieve the same effect as (1).

[0059] (6) The communication control device 40 of the present disclosure is a communication control device communicatively connected to an interference check device 30 that performs a physical simulation of an observed object, and includes a selection device 10 of any one of (1) to (4), a position data output unit 451 that transfers the position data selected by the selection device 10 to the interference check device 30, and a processing status input unit 452 that inputs information from the interference check device 30 that includes at least one of the hardware load of the interference check device 30, the completion status of the physical simulation at a specified time, or a position data output command from the interference check device 30. According to this communication control device 40, it is possible to achieve the same effect as (1). [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1, 1A, 1B Interference Check System 10 Selection device 110 Holding part 120, 120a control unit 121 Range determination unit 122 Data quantity determination unit 123 Selection Section 124 Simulation Department 125 Processing status acquisition unit 20 Numerical Control Device 30, 30a Interference check device 40 Communication control device 45 Interface 451 Position data output section 452 Processing status input section

Claims

1. A selection device that selects position data indicating the path of a movable part included in an industrial machine as an observation target when performing physical simulation, comprising: a holding unit that associates and holds the position data with time-series information; a range determination unit that determines a lower limit time and an upper limit time indicating a range for selecting the position data among the position data held by the holding unit; a data number determination unit that sets the number of position data to be selected among the position data within the range in consideration of the processing load of the physical simulation; a selection unit that selects the set number of position data among the position data within the range; A selection device comprising:

2. The selection device according to claim 1, wherein the position data includes a commanded position to the movable part.

3. The selection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when there are commanded positions equal to or less than the set number within the range determined by the range determination unit, the selection unit preferentially selects from the commanded positions.

4. The selection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the selection unit approximates the path with a polyline using the set number of position data and selects the position data obtained by the approximation.

5. A simulation device that executes physical simulation of an observation target, comprising: the selection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; a simulation unit that performs the physical simulation using the position data selected by the selection device; a processing state acquisition unit that acquires information including either the load of the simulation unit or the completion status of the physical simulation in the simulation unit; A simulation device comprising:

6. A communication control device communicably connected to a simulation device that performs physical simulation of an observation target, comprising: the selection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; a position data output unit that transfers the position data selected by the selection device to the simulation device; a processing state input unit that inputs information including at least any one of the load of the hardware of the simulation device, the completion status of the physical simulation at a predetermined time, or an output command of the position data from the simulation device from the simulation device; A communication control device comprising:

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