Robots and Robot Systems

Abstract

The robot includes a robot arm, a plurality of peripheral devices (14) arranged at the tip of the robot arm, and a signal relay unit (15) provided inside the robot arm and capable of communicating with the peripheral devices (14) using a plurality of different communication methods and capable of communicating with a control device via serial communication via signal lines arranged inside the robot arm, storing priority information for each of the plurality of peripheral devices (14) individually determined for each of the plurality of peripheral devices (14) and relaying communication between the peripheral devices (14) and the control device. When communicating with the control device, the signal relay unit (15) prioritizes communication of information relating to a peripheral device (14) having a high priority among the plurality of peripheral devices (14) over communication of information relating to other peripheral devices (14) among the plurality of peripheral devices (14). The robot allows a user to add desired peripheral devices (14) without increasing the number of signal lines in the robot arm.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a robot and a robot system equipped with peripheral devices involved in controlling the robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a robot system has been known that includes a robot having a robot arm and a robot control device that controls the robot. The robot arm is often configured with joints equipped with motors to perform complex tasks. Furthermore, for example, the robot is equipped with peripheral devices related to the control of the robot, such as a robot hand, sensors, a gripping device, and solenoid valves. The robot control device acquires various types of information from the peripheral devices and controls the robot using the information.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a robot controlled by a control device, which includes, as peripheral devices related to the control of the robot, a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor, a fourth sensor, a first circuit capable of transmitting and receiving signals with the first and second sensors, and a second circuit capable of transmitting and receiving signals with the third and fourth sensors. The control device includes a control unit and a memory unit that control the robot, and controls the operation of the robot based on the detection results of the position sensor, angular velocity sensors, and force sensors.

[0004] In the robot described in Patent Document 1, the control unit and the first circuit are connected by a first serial wiring, which allows the number of signal lines between the control unit and the first circuit to be reduced. Also, the first circuit and the second circuit are connected by a second serial wiring, which allows the number of signal lines between the first circuit and the second circuit to be reduced. As a result, the robot described in Patent Document 1 can have a thinner robot arm, which allows the robot to be made smaller and lighter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-104930 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the robot described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the types of sensors implemented are limited to position sensors, angular velocity sensors, and force sensors, and sensors other than these cannot be used. Therefore, there is a demand for a robot that can add any peripheral device regardless of the type of sensor without increasing the number of signal lines in the robot arm.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a robot that allows a user to add desired peripheral devices without increasing the number of signal lines within the robot arm. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a robot according to the present disclosure is a robot controlled by a control device, and includes a robot arm, a plurality of peripheral devices arranged at the tip of the robot arm, and a signal relay unit provided inside the robot arm and capable of communicating with the peripheral devices using a plurality of different communication methods and capable of communicating with the control device via serial communication via signal lines arranged inside the robot arm, storing peripheral device priority information determined individually for the plurality of peripheral devices, and relaying communication between the peripheral devices and the control device. When communicating with the control device, the signal relay unit prioritizes communication of information about a peripheral device having a high priority among the plurality of peripheral devices over communication of information about other peripheral devices among the plurality of peripheral devices. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The robot according to the present disclosure has the advantage that it is possible to add peripheral devices desired by the user without increasing the number of signal lines in the robot arm. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] Overall view of a robot system according to a first embodiment [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a robot control device included in a robot system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing peripheral devices attached to a robot included in a robot system according to a first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing peripheral devices attached to a second robot arm of the robot included in the robot system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a signal relay unit included in a robot according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a process executed by a robot control unit included in the robot control device according to the first embodiment without using the priority of a peripheral device. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a process executed by the robot control unit included in the robot control device according to the first embodiment without using the priority of a peripheral device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a third example of a process executed by the robot control unit included in the robot control device according to the first embodiment without using the priority of a peripheral device. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process executed by a robot control unit included in the robot control device according to the first embodiment using the priority of a peripheral device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the basic processing flow until the relay unit communication unit of the signal relay unit of the robot adds information on "the time when the peripheral device acquired external information" to the data of the peripheral device in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating how the first peripheral device and the second peripheral device measure external information in the second embodiment. [Figure 12]FIG. 12 shows the robot hand in the state shown in FIG. 11. [Figure 13] 12 is a diagram illustrating the connection state between the peripheral devices, the signal relay unit, and the robot control device provided in the robot in the state shown in FIG. 11. [Figure 14] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the outputs of the first peripheral device and the second peripheral device in the state shown in FIG. 11 and the read values ​​of the outputs of the peripheral devices read by the relay communication unit. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process flow of a first transmission method in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process flow of a second transmission method in the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the functions of the control unit according to the first and second embodiments are realized by hardware. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the functions of the control unit according to the first and second embodiments are realized by software. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, a robot and a robot system according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is an overall view of a robot system according to a first embodiment. The robot system 100 includes a robot 1 installed on an assembly stand 300 and a robot control device 2 that is a control device for controlling the robot 1. The robot 1 and the robot control device 2 are communicatively connected by a cable 3 that is a communication line. The robot 1 is a device that grasps and transports a grasped object W. Note that, although the first embodiment describes a robot 1 that grasps and transports a grasped object W, the robot 1 is not limited to a robot that grasps and transports a grasped object W.

[0013] The object to be grasped W is an object to be conveyed by the robot 1 and is an object to be grasped by the robot 1.

[0014] (Configuration of robot control device 2) 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a robot control device included in the robot system according to the first embodiment. In the robot system 100, the robot control device 2 is disposed outside the robot 1. However, the location of the robot control device 2 is not limited to being outside the robot 1. The robot control device 2 includes a control device time synchronization unit 21, a control device storage unit 22, a control device communication unit 23, and a robot control unit 24.

[0015] The control device time synchronization unit 21 manages the time in the robot control device 2 and synchronizes the time with the signal relay unit 15 (described later) provided in the robot 1. That is, the control device time synchronization unit 21 synchronizes the internal time of the control device time synchronization unit 21 with the internal time of a relay unit time synchronization unit 154 (described later) of the signal relay unit 15. The control device time synchronization unit 21 transmits information about the internal time of the robot control device 2 to the relay unit time synchronization unit 154 of the signal relay unit 15 via the control device communication unit 23, and synchronizes the internal time of the signal relay unit 15 with the internal time of the robot control device 2. In this way, in the robot system 100, the time axis of the time in the robot control device 2 can be synchronized with the time axis of the time when external information is acquired in the peripheral device 14 (described later).

[0016] The control device storage unit 22 stores various types of information used to control the robot 1. That is, the control device storage unit 22 stores various types of information used to control the conveying operation of the robot 1 to convey the object to be grasped W.

[0017] The control device communication unit 23 communicates with devices external to the robot control device 2. The control device communication unit 23 communicates with the signal relay unit 15 of the robot 1.

[0018] The robot control unit 24 controls the operation of the robot 1 based on information acquired from the peripheral devices 14 of the robot 1 and other information.

[0019] (Robot 1 configuration) 1, the robot 1 includes a base unit 11 disposed on an assembly stand 300 and has a robot arm 12 supported by the base unit 11. The base unit 11 is rotatable in the plane of the assembly stand 300. That is, the base unit 11 is provided with a motor (not shown) that rotates the entire robot arm 12, including the base unit 11, in the plane of the assembly stand 300.

[0020] Although FIG. 1 shows a case where the robot 1 includes one robot arm 12, the robot 1 may include multiple robot arms 12.

[0021] The robot arm 12 includes a first robot arm portion 121a, a second robot arm portion 121b, a first joint portion 122a, a second joint portion 122b, and a third joint portion 122c. The side of the robot arm 12 closer to the base portion 11 is called one end, and the tip side is called the other end.

[0022] The first joint portion 122a is supported by the base portion 11. The first joint portion 122a has a built-in motor (not shown), rotatably supports the first robot arm portion 121a, and rotationally drives the first robot arm portion 121a.

[0023] One end of the first robot arm unit 121a is connected to a first joint unit 122a, and the other end is connected to a second joint unit 122b. The first robot arm unit 121a is driven to rotate around the first joint unit 122a by the first joint unit 122a.

[0024] The second joint 122b rotatably connects the other end of the first robot arm 121a and one end of the second robot arm 121b. The second joint 122b has a built-in motor (not shown), rotatably supports the second robot arm 121b, and rotationally drives the second robot arm 121b.

[0025] One end of the second robot arm unit 121b is connected to the second joint unit 122b, and the other end is connected to the third joint unit 122c. The second robot arm unit 121b is driven to rotate around the second joint unit 122b by the second joint unit 122b.

[0026] The third joint 122c rotatably connects the other end of the second robot arm 121b and one end of the robot hand 13. The third joint 122c has a built-in motor (not shown), rotatably supports the robot hand 13, and drives the robot hand 13 to rotate.

[0027] A driving current is supplied to each of the motors of the first joint portion 122a, the second joint portion 122b, and the third joint portion 122c from a power supply (not shown).

[0028] The robot hand 13 is a part gripper that grips the gripping object W, and is attached to a third joint 122c, which is the wrist of the robot arm 12. In other words, the robot hand 13 is disposed at the tip of the robot arm 12. The robot hand 13 is controlled by the robot control device 2 and grips the gripping object W.

[0029] 3 is a diagram showing peripheral devices attached to a robot included in the robot system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the robot hand 13 includes a peripheral device 14 at the other end, i.e., at the tip end. The robot hand 13 is also one of the peripheral devices. That is, the peripheral device 14 is attached to the tip end of the robot arm 12.

[0030] The peripheral device 14 is attached to the tip of the robot arm 12 and is a device involved in controlling the robot 1. Examples of the peripheral device 14 include, but are not limited to, a robot hand, a sensor, a gripping device, an electromagnetic valve, and a camera. Examples of sensors used in the peripheral device 14 include distance sensors, force sensors, and proximity sensors. Here, the tip of the robot arm 12 to which the peripheral device 14 is attached is, for example, the tip side of the robot arm 12 relative to the second joint 122b. The peripheral device 14 continuously acquires external information and, based on the acquired external information, continuously transmits a signal corresponding to the acquired external information to the signal relay unit 15 via the communication line 4. The external information includes information on the state of the peripheral device 14 and information on the state of the surroundings of the peripheral device 14.

[0031] 3 shows a case where four peripheral devices 14, namely, a first peripheral device 141, a second peripheral device 142, a third peripheral device 143, and a fourth peripheral device 144, are provided on a robot hand 13, which is a peripheral device 14 attached to the tip side of a robot arm 12. Note that there is no limit to the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13, and five or more peripheral devices 14 can be attached to the robot hand 13. In other words, there is no limit to the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the tip side of the robot arm 12.

[0032] 3 shows a case where the peripheral device 14 is attached to the robot hand 13, but the location where the peripheral device 14 is attached is not limited to the robot hand 13. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a peripheral device attached to a second robot arm unit in a robot included in the robot system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the peripheral device 14 can also be attached to the second robot arm unit 121b. The configuration shown in FIG. 4 can be used, for example, in an application where a camera is attached to the tip side of the robot arm 12 as the peripheral device 14, and the camera photographs an object to detect defects in the object.

[0033] The robot hand 13 has a connecting portion 13a at one end thereof, which is connected to the third joint portion 122c. That is, the robot hand 13 is attached to the tip side of the robot arm 12 by connecting the connecting portion 13a to the third joint portion 122c.

[0034] Here, a signal relay unit 15 is provided at the tip side of the second robot arm unit 121b to which the robot hand 13 is attached. That is, the signal relay unit 15 is provided at the tip side of the robot arm 12 in the robot 1. The tip side of the robot arm 12 to which the signal relay unit 15 is attached is, for example, the tip side of the robot arm 12 relative to the second joint unit 122b. The signal relay unit 15 is connected to the peripheral device 14 and the robot control device 2, and relays communication between the peripheral device 14 and the robot control device 2. The signal relay unit 15 is configured with a printed circuit board. The signal relay unit 15 communicates with the peripheral device 14 through a communication line 4 arranged inside the robot hand 13. The signal relay unit 15 communicates with a control device communication unit 23 of the robot control device 2 through a cable 3 wired inside the robot arm 12 from a communication conversion unit 152 (described later) to a robot control unit 24.

[0035] The signal relay unit 15 is provided inside the robot arm 12 and is capable of communicating with the peripheral devices 14 using a plurality of different communication methods. The signal relay unit 15 is capable of communicating with the robot control device 2 by serial communication via a cable 3, which is a signal line arranged inside the robot arm 12. The signal relay unit 15 stores information on the priority of the peripheral devices 14 that is determined individually for each of the plurality of peripheral devices 14, and relays communication between the peripheral devices 14 and the robot control device 2. When communicating with the robot control device 2, the signal relay unit 15 prioritizes communication of information relating to a peripheral device 14 with a higher priority among the plurality of peripheral devices 14 over communication of information relating to other peripheral devices 14 among the plurality of peripheral devices 14.

[0036] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a signal relay unit included in the robot according to the first embodiment. Also illustrated in FIG. 5 are the peripheral device 14 and the robot control device 2 connected to the communication converter 152 of the signal relay unit 15. The signal relay unit 15 includes a communication connector 151, a communication converter 152, a relay unit communication unit 153, a relay unit time synchronization unit 154, and a relay unit storage unit 155.

[0037] The communication connector 151 is provided individually for each peripheral device 14, and individually connects the peripheral device 14 to the communication conversion unit 152 using various communication methods such as analog input / output, general-purpose input / output (Input / Output: I / O), and serial communication.

[0038] The communication conversion unit 152 is provided individually for each peripheral device 14, and communicates with the peripheral device 14 via the communication connector 151. The communication conversion unit 152 is capable of communicating with the peripheral device 14 using a plurality of different communication methods. The communication conversion unit 152 communicates with the peripheral device 14 via the communication connector 151 using various communication methods such as analog input / output, general-purpose I / O, and serial communication.

[0039] The communication conversion unit 152 receives the communication method selection information transmitted from the robot control unit 24 via the relay communication unit 153. The communication method selection information is information for selecting a communication method between the communication conversion unit 152 and the peripheral device 14. Upon receiving the communication method selection information, the communication conversion unit 152 sets the communication method with the peripheral device 14 to the communication method specified in the communication method selection information, and communicates with the peripheral device 14 using the set communication method. This allows the communication conversion unit 152 to communicate with the peripheral device 14 using a communication method compatible with the peripheral device 14 connected to the communication conversion unit 152.

[0040] The communication conversion unit 152 receives an output signal output from the peripheral device 14 and converts the output signal into a converted signal that is a signal in a format that can be acquired by the relay unit communication unit 153. The communication conversion unit 152 transmits the converted signal that has been converted into a format that can be acquired by the relay unit communication unit 153 to the relay unit communication unit 153.

[0041] In the robot system 100, a user of the robot system 100 can select a communication method between the peripheral device 14 and the signal relay unit 15 via the communication connector 151. Specifically, in the robot system 100, a user of the robot system 100 can select a communication method between the peripheral device 14 and the communication conversion unit 152 via the communication connector 151. This allows the robot system 100 to attach a variety of peripheral devices 14 including sensors to the robot 1.

[0042] The communication method between each communication converter 152 and the peripheral device 14 can be changed via the robot control device 2. That is, the user can input communication method selection information, which is information for selecting the communication method between the communication converter 152 and the peripheral device 14, to the robot control unit 24 of the robot control device 2 via an input device (not shown) or the control device communication unit 23. The robot control unit 24 transmits the input communication method selection information to the relay unit communication unit 153 of the signal relay unit 15 via the control device communication unit 23.

[0043] The relay unit communication unit 153 communicates with the robot control device 2 by serial communication via the cable 3, and relays communication between the peripheral device 14 and the robot control device 2. The relay unit communication unit 153 receives a converted signal converted into a format that the relay unit communication unit 153 can acquire from the communication conversion unit 152, and creates data of the peripheral device 14 to be sent to the robot control device 2 based on the converted signal. The relay unit communication unit 153 transmits and receives information to and from the robot control unit 24 of the robot control device 2 via the control device communication unit 23 of the robot control device 2. The converted signal that the relay unit communication unit 153 receives from the communication conversion unit 152 can be said to be data that the relay unit communication unit 153 acquires from the peripheral device 14.

[0044] Communication between the relay unit communication unit 153 and the control device communication unit 23 is performed by serial communication. Here, the serial communication between the relay unit communication unit 153 and the control device communication unit 23 is a communication method in which different pieces of data are continuously transmitted and received bit by bit through the cable 3, which is a signal line, and data of different peripheral devices 14 is continuously transmitted and received bit by bit through the cable 3, which is a signal line.

[0045] When each peripheral device 14 and the robot control device 2 are directly connected, a signal line is required for each peripheral device 14 individually.

[0046] In contrast to this, in the robot system 100, the peripheral devices 14 and the robot control device 2 are not directly connected, but are connected via a signal relay unit 15. In the robot system 100, the relay unit communication unit 153 and the control device communication unit 23 of the robot control device 2 are connected by a cable 3, which is a serial line arranged inside the robot arm 12, and communication between the relay unit communication unit 153 and the control device communication unit 23 is carried out by serial communication.

[0047] Therefore, in the robot system 100, even if the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot arm 12 increases, the relay unit communication unit 153 and the control device communication unit 23 can communicate with each other using a single cable 3, which is fewer than the number of peripheral devices 14, and the number of signal lines between the signal relay unit 153 and the control device communication unit 23 does not increase. Therefore, in the robot system 100, the number of peripheral devices 14 can be increased without increasing the number of signal lines inside the robot arm 12 or making the robot arm 2 thicker.

[0048] When transmitting and receiving information to and from the robot control unit 24, the relay communication unit 153 prioritizes transmitting and receiving data about peripheral devices 14 that require real-time performance and relatively high frequency of data transmission and reception. Information transmitted and received between the relay communication unit 153 and the robot control unit 24 includes external information acquired by the peripheral devices 14 and command information from the robot control unit 24 to the peripheral devices 14. When relaying communication between the multiple peripheral devices 14 and the robot control unit 24, the relay communication unit 153 transmits and receives information to and from the robot control unit 24 based on the priority of the peripheral devices 14. In other words, when transmitting and receiving information to and from the robot control unit 24, the relay communication unit 153 prioritizes communication of information about a peripheral device 14 with a higher priority among the multiple peripheral devices 14 over communication of information about other peripheral devices 14 among the multiple peripheral devices 14.

[0049] The priority of the peripheral device 14 is the priority of communication between the peripheral device 14 and the robot control device 2. The priority of the peripheral device 14 can be said as the priority of data transmission and reception of the data of the peripheral device 14 between the peripheral device 14 and the robot control unit 24. The priority of the peripheral device 14 can also be said as the priority of communication between the relay communication unit 153 and the robot control device 2. The priority of the peripheral device 14 can also be said as the priority of data transmission and reception of the data of the peripheral device 14 between the relay communication unit 153 and the robot control unit 24.

[0050] In the robot system 100, the robot control unit 24 or the robot control device 2 may be replaced due to a malfunction of the robot control unit 24. If priority information of the peripheral devices 14 is stored in the robot control unit 24, the priority information of the peripheral devices 14 must be set again in the robot control unit 24 when the robot control unit 24 or the robot control device 2 is replaced.

[0051] By storing the priority information of the peripheral device 14 in the relay unit memory unit 155, even if the robot control unit 24 or the robot control device 2 is replaced, there is no need to set the priority information of the peripheral device 14 again, which improves user convenience when replacing the robot control unit 24 or the robot control device 2.

[0052] The relay unit time synchronization unit 154 manages the time in the signal relay unit 15 and synchronizes the time with the robot control device 2. That is, the relay unit time synchronization unit 154 synchronizes the internal time of the relay unit time synchronization unit 154 with the internal time of the control device time synchronization unit 21 of the robot control device 2. The relay unit time synchronization unit 154 acquires information about the internal time of the robot control device 2 from the control device time synchronization unit 21 of the robot control device 2 via the relay unit communication unit 153, and synchronizes the internal time of the signal relay unit 15 with the internal time of the robot control device 2. As a result, in the robot system 100, the time axis of the time in the robot control device 2 and the time axis of the time when external information is acquired in the peripheral device 14 can be synchronized.

[0053] The relay unit storage unit 155 stores information on the priority of the peripheral devices 14, which is determined individually for each of the plurality of peripheral devices 14. The relay unit storage unit 155 also stores information on the communication method between the peripheral devices 14 and the communication conversion unit 152. The relay unit storage unit 155 also stores information for executing a first transmission method and a second transmission method. The first transmission method and the second transmission method will be described later.

[0054] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first example of processing executed by the robot control unit included in the robot control device according to the first embodiment without using the priority of peripheral devices. FIG. 6 shows an example in which necessary processing is executed without any problems within the data transmission / reception cycle of the robot control unit 24 included in the robot control device 2. When the robot control unit 24 executes various processes such as data transmission / reception, the data transmission / reception cycle for executing the processes is determined in advance. Here, the predetermined data transmission / reception cycle is set as data transmission / reception cycle P1. Furthermore, it is assumed that the peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13, which is a peripheral device 14, are two peripheral devices 14: a first peripheral device 141 and a second peripheral device 142.

[0055] In the example of the processing of the robot control unit 24 shown in FIG. 6, the processing executed by the robot control unit 24 in one data transmission / reception period P1 includes transmitting and receiving data to and from the first peripheral device 141, transmitting and receiving data to and from the second peripheral device 142, Sending and receiving data with robot hand 13 and other processes. In one data transmission / reception period P1, the robot control unit 24 first communicates with the first peripheral device 141 to transmit and receive data to and from the first peripheral device 141. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the second peripheral device 142 to transmit and receive data to and from the second peripheral device 142. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the robot hand 13 to transmit and receive data to and from the robot hand 13. Next, the robot control unit 24 executes other processes. That is, in the example of the processing of the robot control unit 24 shown in FIG. 6, the robot control unit 24 executes data transmission and reception between the first peripheral device 141, the second peripheral device 142, and the robot hand 13 and each of the peripheral devices 14 via the signal relay unit 15, and other processes, in one data transmission / reception period P1.

[0056] Communication between the robot control unit 24 and each peripheral device 14 is performed via the control device communication unit 23. Other processing includes calculations or transmission and reception of data other than communication with the peripheral devices 14, which are necessary to control the operation of the robot 1.

[0057] In the example of processing by the robot control unit 24 shown in Fig. 6, data transmission and reception between the first peripheral device 141, the second peripheral device 142, and the robot hand 13 and other processing are all completed within one data transmission and reception cycle P1. Note that Fig. 6 shows processing within one data transmission and reception cycle P1, but in actual processing by the robot control unit 24, the data transmission and reception cycle P1 is repeated, and processing similar to that described above is repeatedly executed.

[0058] Here, if the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 increases, i.e., if the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot arm 12 increases, the amount of data sent and received between the peripheral devices 14 and the robot control unit 24 increases, and it is expected that communication with all peripheral devices 14 at the same frequency may be difficult due to communication speed restrictions.

[0059] 7 is a diagram showing a second example of processing executed by the robot control unit included in the robot control device according to the first embodiment without using the priority of the peripheral devices. Fig. 7 shows an example of a case where it becomes difficult to process data in the cycle P1 of data transmission and reception in the robot control unit 24. The example of processing by the robot control unit 24 shown in Fig. 7 assumes that a third peripheral device 143 and a fourth peripheral device 144 are added as peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 in addition to a first peripheral device 141 and a second peripheral device 142.

[0060] 7, the processing executed by the robot control unit 24 in one data transmission / reception period P1 includes data transmission and reception with the first peripheral device 141, data transmission and reception with the second peripheral device 142, data transmission and reception with the third peripheral device 143, data transmission and reception with the fourth peripheral device 144, data transmission and reception with the robot hand 13, and other processing. That is, in the processing example of the robot control unit 24 shown in FIG. 7, the robot control unit 24 must execute data transmission and reception with each of the peripheral devices 14 of the first peripheral device 141 to the fourth peripheral device 144 and the robot hand 13, as well as other processing, in one data transmission / reception period P1.

[0061] Then, in one data transmission / reception cycle P1, the robot control unit 24 first communicates with the first peripheral device 141 to transmit and receive data to and from the first peripheral device 141. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the second peripheral device 142 to transmit and receive data to and from the second peripheral device 142. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the third peripheral device 143 to transmit and receive data to and from the third peripheral device 143. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the fourth peripheral device 144 to transmit and receive data to and from the fourth peripheral device 144. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the robot hand 13 to transmit and receive data to and from the robot hand 13. Next, the robot control unit 24 executes other processes.

[0062] Here, the time that the robot control unit 24 can use to send and receive data, i.e., the data transmission and reception cycle time, is individually determined depending on the type of robot control device 2. When the robot control unit 24 executes each process within the data transmission and reception cycle P1 without using the priority of the peripheral devices 14, as the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot 1 increases, some of the other processes will become "processes that the robot control unit 24 cannot execute" within the data transmission and reception cycle P1, as shown by diagonal hatching in Fig. 7. In other words, when the robot control unit 24 executes processes according to the data transmission and reception cycle P1 without using the priority of the peripheral devices 14, as the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 increases, a situation will arise in which the robot control unit 24 cannot execute processes that are originally required.

[0063] 7 illustrates a state in which, when the robot control unit 24 executes each process within a data transmission / reception cycle P1 without using the priority of the peripheral devices 14, when the robot control unit 24 transmits and receives data from the first peripheral device 141 to the fourth peripheral device 144 and the robot hand 13 and data other than the data from the peripheral devices 14, the volume of data from the first peripheral device 141 to the fourth peripheral device 144 and the robot hand 13 is large, and transmission and reception of data that is originally required within the data transmission / reception cycle P1 is not completed. Thus, in the example of the processing of the robot control unit 24 illustrated in FIG. 7, a situation occurs in which the robot control unit 24 does not execute a process that should originally be executed within the data transmission / reception cycle P1 due to an increase in the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13.

[0064] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a third example of processing executed by the robot control unit included in the robot control device according to the first embodiment without using the priority of the peripheral devices. Fig. 8 shows an example in which the data transmission / reception period P1 in the robot control unit 24 is extended. The example of processing by the robot control unit 24 shown in Fig. 8 assumes that a third peripheral device 143 and a fourth peripheral device 144 are added as peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 in addition to a first peripheral device 141 and a second peripheral device 142. Here, the data transmission / reception period obtained by extending the predetermined data transmission / reception period P1 is set to a data transmission / reception period P2.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 7, when the robot control unit 24 executes each process within a data transmission / reception cycle P1 without using the priority of the peripheral devices 14, increasing the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 may result in a situation where the robot control unit 24 is unable to execute the processes that are originally required. Therefore, when the robot control unit 24 executes each process within a data transmission / reception cycle without using the priority of the peripheral devices 14, in order for the robot control unit 24 to execute all processes that should originally be executed within the data transmission / reception cycle within the data transmission / reception cycle, assume a case where the data transmission / reception cycle is extended from the data transmission / reception cycle P1 to a data transmission / reception cycle P2 as shown in Fig. 8. In the data transmission / reception cycle P2, the cycle time is extended from the data transmission / reception cycle P1 by an extension time T.

[0066] In the example of processing by the robot control unit 24 shown in FIG. 8 , in one data transmission / reception cycle P2, the robot control unit 24 first communicates with the first peripheral device 141 to transmit and receive data to and from the first peripheral device 141. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the second peripheral device 142 to transmit and receive data to and from the second peripheral device 142. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the third peripheral device 143 to transmit and receive data to and from the third peripheral device 143. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the fourth peripheral device 144 to transmit and receive data to and from the fourth peripheral device 144. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the robot hand 13 to transmit and receive data to and from the robot hand 13. Next, the robot control unit 24 executes other processing.

[0067] In the processing example shown in Figure 8, the data transmission and reception period is extended from data transmission and reception period P1 to data transmission and reception period P2, so that data transmission and reception between each peripheral device 14 of the first peripheral device 141 to the fourth peripheral device 144 and the robot hand 13, as well as other processing, are all completed within one data transmission and reception period P2.

[0068] However, in the example of processing by the robot control unit 24 shown in Fig. 8, the data transmission / reception cycle is lengthened, so the number of repetitions of the data transmission / reception cycle per unit time is reduced, and the number of data transmissions / receptions per unit time is reduced in terms of data transmission / reception between the peripheral device 14 and the robot control unit 24. The unit time is, for example, one second. In other words, the communication speed is reduced in terms of data transmission / reception between the peripheral device 14 and the robot control unit 24.

[0069] For example, before the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 is increased, the number of repetitions of the data transmission / reception cycle P1 per unit time is 10, whereas after the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 is increased, the number of repetitions of the data transmission / reception cycle P2 per unit time becomes 8. That is, after the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot arm 12 is increased, the number of repetitions of the data transmission / reception cycle P2 per unit time decreases from before the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot arm 12 to after the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot arm 12. In this case, the number of repetitions of data transmission / reception between the peripheral devices 14 and the robot control unit 24 per unit time decreases, and the communication speed in terms of data transmission / reception between the peripheral devices 14 and the robot control unit 24 decreases.

[0070] In the example of processing by the robot control unit 24 shown in Figure 8, when the robot control unit 24 executes each process within the data transmission / reception period P2 without using the priority of the peripheral devices 14, when the robot control unit 24 transmits and receives data from the first peripheral device 141 to the fourth peripheral device 144 and the robot hand 13 as well as other data, the data transmission / reception period for transmitting and receiving all data becomes longer due to the increase in the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13.

[0071] Therefore, in the robot system 100 according to the first embodiment, the relay unit communication unit 153 of the signal relay unit 15, when transmitting and receiving information to and from the robot control unit 24, prioritizes data about the peripheral devices 14 that require real-time processing and relatively high-frequency data transmission and reception, and transmits the data to and from the robot control device 2. After creating data for the peripheral devices 14 based on the converted signal received from the communication conversion unit 152, the relay unit communication unit 153 transmits and receives data to and from the robot control unit 24 by changing the frequency of data transmission and reception with the robot control unit 24 for each peripheral device 14 based on the priority information of the peripheral devices 14 stored in the relay unit storage unit 155. As a result, the robot control unit 24 transmits and receives data about the peripheral devices 14 to and from the robot control unit 24 at different frequencies for each peripheral device 14 based on the priority of the peripheral devices 14. The robot control unit 24 then prioritizes data transmission and reception with a peripheral device 14 with a higher priority during a single data transmission and reception cycle P1.

[0072] A peripheral device 14 that requires real-time data transmission and reception with the robot control unit 24 and that needs to transmit and receive data relatively frequently with the robot control unit 24 is set to a relatively high priority. A peripheral device 14 that does not require real-time data transmission and reception with the robot control unit 24 and that can transmit and receive data relatively infrequently with the robot control unit 24 without any problems is set to a relatively low priority.

[0073] The priority of each peripheral device 14 is determined in advance and stored in the relay unit storage unit 155. The priority of each peripheral device 14 stored in the relay unit storage unit 155 can be changed via the robot control device 2. That is, a user can input priority change information for the peripheral device 14, which is information instructing a change in the priority of the peripheral device 14, to the robot control unit 24 of the robot control device 2 via an input device (not shown) or the control device communication unit 23. The robot control unit 24 transmits the input priority change information to the relay unit communication unit 153 of the signal relay unit 15 via the control device communication unit 23. Upon receiving the priority change information transmitted from the robot control unit 24, the relay unit communication unit 153 changes and updates the priority information of the peripheral device 14 stored in the relay unit storage unit 155 based on the priority change information.

[0074] As described above, in the robot system 100, the user of the robot 1 can freely set the priority of the peripheral devices 14. Therefore, the user can freely change the priority of the peripheral devices 14 in response to changes in the peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot 1, and can set the priority of the peripheral devices 14 appropriate for controlling the robot 1. As a result, in the robot system 100, when the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 increases or when the peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 are changed, it becomes possible to transmit and receive data between each peripheral device 14 and the robot control unit 24 at a frequency appropriate for controlling the robot 1. That is, in the robot system 100, when the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot arm 12 increases or when the peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot arm 12 are changed, it becomes possible to transmit and receive data between each peripheral device 14 and the robot control unit 24 at a frequency appropriate for controlling the robot 1.

[0075] 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing executed by the robot control unit included in the robot control device according to the first embodiment using the priority of peripheral devices. The example of processing by the robot control unit 24 illustrated in FIG. 9 assumes that a third peripheral device 143 and a fourth peripheral device 144 are added as peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 in addition to the first peripheral device 141 and second peripheral device 142 illustrated in FIG. 6.

[0076] In the example of processing by the robot control unit 24 shown in Fig. 9, the first peripheral device 141 and the robot hand 13 are set to have high priorities. Also, in the example of processing by the robot control unit 24 shown in Fig. 9, the second peripheral device 142, the third peripheral device 143, and the fourth peripheral device 144 are set to have low priorities.

[0077] In the example of processing by the robot control unit 24 shown in Fig. 9, the processing executed by the robot control unit 24 in the first data transmission / reception period P1 includes transmitting and receiving data with the first peripheral device 141, which is the peripheral device 14 with a high priority, transmitting and receiving data with the robot hand 13, which is the peripheral device 14 with a high priority, transmitting and receiving data with the second peripheral device 142, which is the peripheral device 14 with a low priority, and other processing. In the example of processing shown in Fig. 9, the robot control unit 24 first communicates with the first peripheral device 141 in the first data transmission / reception period P1 to transmit and receive data to and from the first peripheral device 141. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the robot hand 13 to transmit and receive data to and from the first peripheral device 141. Robot Hand 13 Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the second peripheral device 142 and transmits and receives data to and from the second peripheral device 142. Next, the robot control unit 24 executes other processes. Then, the transmission and reception of data between the first peripheral device 141, the robot hand 13, and the second peripheral device 142 and the other processes are completed within the first data transmission and reception cycle P1.

[0078] Next, the processing executed by the robot control unit 24 in the second data transmission / reception period P1 includes data transmission / reception with the first peripheral device 141, which is the peripheral device 14 with a high priority, data transmission / reception with the robot hand 13, which is the peripheral device 14 with a high priority, data transmission / reception with the third peripheral device 143, which is the peripheral device 14 with a low priority, and other processing. In the processing example shown in FIG. 9, the robot control unit 24 first communicates with the first peripheral device 141 in the second data transmission / reception period P1 to transmit and receive data to and from the first peripheral device 141. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the robot hand 13 to transmit and receive data to and from the third peripheral device 143. Robot Hand 13 Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the third peripheral device 143 and transmits and receives data to and from the third peripheral device 143. Next, the robot control unit 24 executes other processes. Then, the transmission and reception of data between the first peripheral device 141, the robot hand 13, and the third peripheral device 143 and the other processes are completed within the second data transmission and reception cycle P1.

[0079] Next, the processing executed by the robot control unit 24 in the third data transmission / reception cycle P1 includes data transmission / reception with the first peripheral device 141, which is the peripheral device 14 with a high priority, data transmission / reception with the robot hand 13, which is the peripheral device 14 with a high priority, data transmission / reception with the fourth peripheral device 144, which is the peripheral device 14 with a low priority, and other processing. In the processing example shown in FIG. 9, the robot control unit 24 first communicates with the first peripheral device 141 in the third data transmission / reception cycle P1 to transmit and receive data to and from the first peripheral device 141. Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the robot hand 13 to transmit and receive data to and from the fourth peripheral device 144. Robot Hand 13 Next, the robot control unit 24 communicates with the fourth peripheral device 144 and transmits and receives data to and from the fourth peripheral device 144. Next, the robot control unit 24 executes other processes. Then, the transmission and reception of data between the first peripheral device 141, the robot hand 13, and the fourth peripheral device 144 and the other processes are completed within the third data transmission and reception cycle P1.

[0080] Thereafter, the first data transmission / reception cycle P1, the second data transmission / reception cycle P1, and the third data transmission / reception cycle P1 are repeated in this order.

[0081] Furthermore, information about the data transmission / reception cycle P1 and information about the timing to start the data transmission / reception cycle P1 are shared between the relay unit communication unit 153 of the signal relay unit 15 and the robot control unit 24 of the robot control device 2. That is, information about the data transmission / reception cycle P1 and information about the timing to start the data transmission / reception cycle P1 are stored in the relay unit storage unit 155 of the signal relay unit 15 and the control device storage unit 22 of the robot control device 2. The relay unit communication unit 153 transmits and receives data to and from the robot control unit 24 by referring to the information about the data transmission / reception cycle P1 and information about the timing to start the data transmission / reception cycle P1 stored in the relay unit storage unit 155. The robot control unit 24 transmits and receives data to and from the relay unit communication unit 153 by referring to the information about the data transmission / reception cycle P1 and information about the timing to start the data transmission / reception cycle P1 stored in the control device storage unit 22.

[0082] As a result, even if the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 increases by adding a third peripheral device 143 and a fourth peripheral device 144 in addition to the first peripheral device 141 and second peripheral device 142 shown in Figure 6, the relay unit communication unit 153 can transmit data of peripheral devices 14 with high priority to the robot control unit 24 at each data transmission / reception period P1 while maintaining the length of the data transmission / reception period.

[0083] The robot control unit 24 is able to receive data from the peripheral device 14, which requires real-time data transmission and reception and which requires relatively high frequency data transmission and reception, at each data transmission and reception cycle P1. This allows the robot control unit 24 to control the robot 1 using data from the peripheral device 14 with high priority, which is acquired at each data transmission and reception cycle P1.

[0084] In the example of processing by the robot control unit 24 shown in FIG. 9, even if the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 is increased by adding a third peripheral device 143 and a fourth peripheral device 144 in addition to the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142, the robot system 100 maintains the length of the data transmission / reception cycle and transmits data of the first peripheral device 141, which is the peripheral device 14 with a higher priority. and Robot Hand 13 data can be transmitted to the robot control unit 24 at the cycle P1 of each data transmission / reception.

[0085] The robot control unit 24 is required to transmit and receive data to and from the peripheral device 14 in real time, and the robot control unit 24 is required to transmit and receive data to and from the peripheral device 14 at a relatively high frequency. and Robot Hand 13 data In this way, the robot control unit 24 can receive the data of the first peripheral device 141 with a high priority, which is acquired in the data transmission / reception cycle P1. and Robot Hand 13 data The robot 1 can be controlled using the above.

[0086] That is, in the robot system 100, data of the first peripheral device 141 and the robot hand 13, which have high priority, is transmitted and received in all communication cycles, i.e., in all data transmission and reception cycles P1. Also, in the robot system 100, data of the second peripheral device 142, the third peripheral device 143, and the fourth peripheral device 144, which are peripheral devices 14 with low priority, is transmitted and received in some communication cycles, i.e., in some data transmission and reception cycles P1. In this way, in the robot system 100, by changing the proportion of the cycle for transmitting and receiving data in accordance with the priority of the peripheral device 14, i.e., by changing the proportion of the data transmission and reception cycle P1 for transmitting and receiving data in accordance with the priority of the peripheral device 14, data of the peripheral device 14 with high priority can be transmitted and received between the peripheral device 14 and the robot control unit 24 in each data transmission and reception cycle without extending the data transmission and reception cycle.

[0087] According to the robot 1 of the first embodiment described above, a robot controlled by a control device is realized, which includes a robot arm, a plurality of peripheral devices arranged at the tip side of the robot arm, and a signal relay unit provided inside the robot arm and capable of communicating with the peripheral devices using a plurality of different communication methods, and capable of communicating with the control device by serial communication via a signal line arranged inside the robot arm, which stores information on the priority of peripheral devices individually determined for the plurality of peripheral devices, and relays communication between the peripheral devices and the control device, and when communicating with the control device, the signal relay unit prioritizes communication of information regarding a peripheral device having a higher priority among the plurality of peripheral devices over communication of information regarding other peripheral devices among the plurality of peripheral devices.

[0088] As described above, in the robot system 100 according to the first embodiment, when transmitting and receiving information to and from the robot control unit 24 of the robot control device 2, the relay unit communication unit 153 of the signal relay unit 15 prioritizes data transmission and reception with a peripheral device 14 having a high priority. That is, when transmitting and receiving information between the relay unit communication unit 153 and the robot control unit 24, data is transmitted and received within each data transmission and reception cycle P1 for the peripheral device 14 having a high priority. On the other hand, data is transmitted and received once every three data transmission and reception cycles P1 for the peripheral devices 14 having a low priority, i.e., the second peripheral device 142, the third peripheral device 143, and the fourth peripheral device 144.

[0089] That is, when transmitting and receiving data between the robot control unit 24 and the peripheral device 14, the relay communication unit 153 transmits and receives data of a peripheral device 14 with a relatively high priority at a high frequency. Also, the relay communication unit 153 transmits and receives data of a peripheral device 14 with a relatively low priority for data transmission and reception, for which the relay communication unit 153 can acquire data at a low frequency without causing any problems. Therefore, in the robot system 100, data of a peripheral device 14 with a relatively high priority can be normally transmitted and received without reducing the communication speed between the relay communication unit 153 and the robot control unit 24. As a result, in the robot system 100, high-speed communication can be ensured for a peripheral device 14 that requires high-speed communication with the robot control unit 24, depending on the priority of the peripheral device 14, regardless of the configuration of the peripheral device 14, such as a sensor.

[0090] Furthermore, in the robot system 100, even if the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot arm 12 increases, data of peripheral devices 14 with high priority can be transmitted and received between the robot control unit 24 at each data transmission / reception cycle while maintaining the data transmission / reception cycle.

[0091] In the robot system 100, the peripheral devices 14 and the robot control device 2 are not directly connected, but are connected via a signal relay unit 15. In the robot system 100, the relay unit communication unit 153 and the control device communication unit 23 of the robot control device 2 are connected by a cable 3, which is a serial line arranged inside the robot arm 12, and communication between the relay unit communication unit 153 and the control device communication unit 23 is performed by serial communication.

[0092] Therefore, in the robot system 100, even if the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot arm 12 increases, the relay unit communication unit 153 and the control device communication unit 23 can communicate with each other using a single cable 3 that is fewer than the number of peripheral devices 14, and the number of signal lines between the signal relay unit 153 and the control device communication unit 23 does not increase. As a result, in the robot system 100, the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot arm 12 can be increased without increasing the number of signal lines inside the robot arm 12 and without making the robot arm 2 thicker.

[0093] Furthermore, in the robot system 100, the user of the robot system 100 can select the communication method between the peripheral device 14 and the signal relay unit 15 via the communication connector 151. This allows the robot system 100 to attach a variety of peripheral devices 14, including sensors, to the robot 1.

[0094] Therefore, the robot system 100 according to the first embodiment has the advantage that it is possible to add peripheral devices 14 desired by the user without increasing the number of cables 3, which are signal lines within the robot arm 12.

[0095] Embodiment 2 In the second embodiment, other functions of the robot system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. In the robot system 100, when data of the peripheral device 14 created in the relay unit communication unit 153 of the signal relay unit 15 is transmitted from the relay unit communication unit 153 to the robot control unit 24 of the robot control device 2, information on the "time at which the peripheral device 14 acquired external information" can be added to the transmitted data of the peripheral device 14. The data of the peripheral device 14 transmitted from the relay unit communication unit 153 to the robot control unit 24 is created in the relay unit communication unit 153 based on the external information acquired by the peripheral device 14. That is, the data of the peripheral device 14 is created in the relay unit communication unit 153 based on the converted signal received from the communication conversion unit 152.

[0096] However, "the time when the robot control unit 24 acquires the data of the peripheral device 14 from the relay communication unit 153" is different from "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquires the external information." Therefore, in order for the robot control unit 24 to grasp detailed external information, the robot control unit 24 needs to grasp "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquires the external information." Therefore, the relay communication unit 153 adds information on "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquires the external information" to the data of the peripheral device 14 that is transmitted to the robot control unit 24.

[0097] The relay unit communication unit 153 refers to information about "the elapsed time from when the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay unit communication unit 153 creates the data for the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24" for each peripheral device 14 stored in the relay unit storage unit 155. The relay unit communication unit 153 then calculates the time at which the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information by subtracting "the elapsed time from when the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay unit communication unit 153 creates the data for the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24" from the time at which the data for the peripheral device 14 was created. The relay unit communication unit 153 then adds the calculated information about "the time at which the peripheral device 14 acquires external information" to the data for the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24.

[0098] Therefore, the robot control unit 24 can acquire "external information acquired by the peripheral device 14" and "information on the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information" by receiving the data of the peripheral device 14 transmitted from the relay communication unit 153. Then, the robot control unit 24 can control the operation of the robot 1 by using the "external information acquired by the peripheral device 14" and taking into consideration the difference between the "time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information" and the "current time."

[0099] Furthermore, as described above, in the robot system 100, the relay unit time synchronization unit 154 and the control device time synchronization unit 21 synchronize the internal time of the signal relay unit 15 with the internal time of the robot control device 2. Therefore, in the robot system 100, the time axis of the time in the signal relay unit 15 is synchronized with the time axis of the time in the robot control device 2. As a result, in the robot system 100, the time axis of "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquires external information" calculated by the relay unit communication unit 153 can be synchronized with the time axis of the robot control unit 24.

[0100] The following describes the flow of processing up to when the relay communication unit 153 adds information about "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired external information" to the data of the peripheral device 14 that is transmitted to the robot control unit 24. First, the basic flow of processing in which the relay communication unit 153 adds information about "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired external information" to the data of the peripheral device 14 that is transmitted to the robot control unit 24 will be described.

[0101] 10 is a diagram illustrating the basic processing flow up to when the relay communication unit of the signal relay unit of the robot adds information on “the time when the peripheral device acquired external information” to the data of the peripheral device in embodiment 2. The following describes the case where the peripheral device 14 is a sensor.

[0102] First, in step S10, the peripheral device 14, which is a sensor, acquires external information at time t1. Time t1, which is the time when the peripheral device 14 acquires the external information, is set as a reference time, which is the start time of a series of processes. At time t1, the required time for the series of processes is "0 ms." Also, at time t1, the elapsed time, which is the time that has elapsed since the series of processes started, is "0 ms."

[0103] Next, in step S20, the peripheral device 14 outputs a signal to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15 in accordance with the external information acquired by the peripheral device 14. That is, based on the external information acquired by the peripheral device 14, the peripheral device 14 outputs an output signal, which is a signal corresponding to the external information, to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15. The output signal output from the peripheral device 14 is input to the communication conversion unit 152 via the communication connector 151. The time required from when the peripheral device 14 acquires the external information to when the peripheral device 14 outputs the output signal is "1 ms." The elapsed time from when the peripheral device 14 outputs the output signal is "1 ms."

[0104] Next, in step S30, the communication conversion unit 152 converts the output signal output by the peripheral device 14 into a converted signal, which is a signal in a format that can be acquired by the relay unit communication unit 153. The time required for the communication conversion unit 152 to convert the output signal of the peripheral device 14 is "1 ms". The elapsed time from the time the communication conversion unit 152 converts the output signal of the peripheral device 14 into the converted signal is "2 ms". The communication conversion unit 152 outputs the converted converted signal to the relay unit communication unit 153.

[0105] Next, in step S40, relay unit communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal converted by communication conversion unit 152 at time t2. After communication conversion unit 152 converts the output signal of peripheral device 14 into a converted signal in step S30, the time required for relay unit communication unit 153 to acquire the converted signal of peripheral device 14 is "1 ms." The elapsed time at the time relay unit communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal is "3 ms."

[0106] Next, in step S50, the relay unit communication unit 153 creates data of the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24 based on the acquired converted signal. Here, the relay unit communication unit 153 includes information on time t1, which is the "time when the peripheral device 14 acquired external information," in the data of the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24. The relay unit communication unit 153 calculates the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired external information as the time when the data of the peripheral device 14 was created by subtracting the "elapsed time from the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired external information until the relay unit communication unit 153 created the data of the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24" from the time when the data of the peripheral device 14 was created. The required time required for the relay unit communication unit 153 to create the data of the peripheral device 14 is "1 ms." The elapsed time when the relay unit communication unit 153 created the data of the peripheral device 14 is "4 ms."

[0107] In this way, at the time when the relay communication unit 153 creates the data for the peripheral device 14, "4 ms" have passed since the time t1 when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information. In other words, "the time elapsed from the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information until the relay communication unit 153 created the data for the peripheral device 14 to transmit to the robot control unit 24" is "4 ms." The time elapsed at the time when the relay communication unit 153 created the data for the peripheral device 14 can be said to be "the delay time from the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information until the relay communication unit 153 created the data for the peripheral device 14 to transmit to the robot control unit 24."

[0108] Assume that the relay communication unit 153 adds information about "the time at which the relay communication unit 153 transmits the data of the peripheral device 14 to the robot control unit 24" to the data of the peripheral device 14 and transmits the data of the peripheral device 14 to the robot control unit 24. In this case, the robot control unit 24 is unable to recognize the passage of "4 ms," which is "the time elapsed from the time at which the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay communication unit 153 creates the data of the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24." In other words, even if the robot control unit 24 receives the data of the peripheral device 14 that includes information about "the time at which the relay communication unit 153 transmits the data of the peripheral device 14 to the robot control unit 24," the data of the peripheral device 14 does not include information about "4 ms," which is "the time elapsed from the time at which the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay communication unit 153 creates the data of the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24," and therefore is unable to recognize the passage of "4 ms."

[0109] Therefore, even if the robot control unit 24 receives data of the peripheral device 14 that includes information on "the time when the relay communication unit 153 transmits the data of the peripheral device 14 to the robot control unit 24," it cannot recognize "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information." Here, it can be said that "the time when the relay communication unit 153 transmits the data of the peripheral device 14 to the robot control unit 24" and "the time when the relay communication unit 153 created the data of the peripheral device 14 to transmit to the robot control unit 24" are the same time.

[0110] Therefore, in the robot system 100, the relay communication unit 153 includes information on "time t1," which is information on "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information," in the data of the peripheral device 14, and transmits the data of the peripheral device 14 including the information on "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information," to the robot control unit 24. As a result, the robot control unit 24 can acquire the information on "time t1," which is information on "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information," by receiving the data of the peripheral device 14. Then, the robot control unit 24 can use the acquired information on "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information," and can accurately control the robot 1 by taking into account "the difference between the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information and the current time."

[0111] Here, the "elapsed time from when the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal converted by the communication conversion unit 152" differs for each peripheral device 14 and is a time unique to each peripheral device 14. The time it takes for the relay communication unit 153 to create data for the peripheral device 14 based on the converted signal is constant regardless of the type of peripheral device 14.

[0112] Therefore, for each peripheral device 14, "the elapsed time from the time the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay communication unit 153 creates data for the peripheral device 14 to transmit to the robot control unit 24" is different for each peripheral device 14 and is a time unique to the peripheral device 14. Information about "the elapsed time from the time the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay communication unit 153 creates data for the peripheral device 14 to transmit to the robot control unit 24" for each peripheral device 14 is stored in advance in the relay storage unit 155 of the signal relay unit 15. In FIG. 5, the information about "the elapsed time from the time the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay communication unit 153 creates data for the peripheral device 14 to transmit to the robot control unit 24" is shown as "elapsed time at data creation."

[0113] The relay unit communication unit 153 refers to the information stored in the relay unit storage unit 155 regarding “the elapsed time from the time the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information until the time the relay unit communication unit 153 created the data for the peripheral device 14 to transmit to the robot control unit 24,” and calculates the time obtained by subtracting “the elapsed time from the time the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information until the time the relay unit communication unit 153 created the data for the peripheral device 14 to transmit to the robot control unit 24” from the time the relay unit communication unit 153 created the data for the peripheral device 14. Then, the relay unit communication unit 153 adds the calculated information regarding “the time the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information” to the data for the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24.

[0114] The factors that cause the "elapsed time from the time when peripheral device 14 acquires external information until relay unit communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal converted in communication conversion unit 152" to differ for each peripheral device 14 are that the output processing time of peripheral device 14 differs for each type of peripheral device 14 and the communication method between peripheral device 14 and communication conversion unit 152, but mainly it is that the output processing time of peripheral device 14 differs for each type of peripheral device 14.

[0115] The output processing time of the peripheral device 14 is the processing time required for the output processing from when the peripheral device 14 acquires external information, to when the peripheral device 14 converts the acquired external information into an electrical signal, and when the peripheral device 14 outputs an output signal corresponding to the acquired external information to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15. Note that the time required for the output signal output from the peripheral device 14 to be converted into a converted signal by the communication conversion unit 152 and to reach the relay communication unit 153 is constant regardless of the type of peripheral device 14 and the communication method between the peripheral device 14 and the communication conversion unit 152.

[0116] In addition, the relay communication unit 153 can also transmit the data of multiple peripheral devices 14 created as described above within the data transmission / reception cycle in accordance with the priority of the peripheral devices 14, as described in embodiment 1.

[0117] As described above, the "elapsed time from when the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay unit communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal converted by the communication converter 152" differs for each peripheral device 14 and is a time specific to each peripheral device 14. Taking into consideration the "elapsed time from when the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay unit communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal converted by the communication converter 152," information on "elapsed time from when the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay unit communication unit 153 creates data for the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24" is stored in advance in the relay unit storage unit 155 of the signal relay unit 15 as "elapsed time at data creation." Here, it is assumed that the relay unit communication unit 153 transmits data of the peripheral devices 14, including information on "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquires external information," for a plurality of peripheral devices 14 to the robot control unit 24.

[0118] The robot control unit 24 receives data of the peripheral devices 14, including information on "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information," for each of the peripheral devices 14. If the "elapsed time from when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information until the relay communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal converted by the communication conversion unit 152" is not taken into consideration for each of the peripheral devices 14, the robot control unit 24 cannot grasp the external information acquired at the same time by the multiple peripheral devices 14, even if it acquires the data of the multiple peripheral devices 14.

[0119] Therefore, in the robot system 100, the robot control unit 24 can acquire the external information acquired at a specific time by the multiple peripheral devices 14 by considering, for each peripheral device 14, "the elapsed time from when the peripheral device 14 acquires the external information until the relay communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal converted by the communication conversion unit 152" and "aligning the times at which the peripheral devices 14 acquire the external information for the data of the multiple peripheral devices 14." That is, in the robot system 100, the robot control unit 24 can acquire the external information acquired at a specific time by the multiple peripheral devices 14 by considering, for each peripheral device 14, "the elapsed time from when the peripheral device 14 acquires the external information until the relay communication unit 153 creates the data of the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24" and "aligning the times at which the peripheral devices 14 acquire the external information for the data of the multiple peripheral devices 14." This allows the robot control unit 24 to control the robot 1 using the external information acquired at a specific time by the multiple peripheral devices 14, thereby enabling more accurate control of the robot 1.

[0120] "Aligning the times at which the peripheral devices 14 acquired external information for the data of the plurality of peripheral devices 14" can be understood as calculating the correct "time at which the peripheral devices 14 acquired external information" by taking into consideration, for each peripheral device 14, the "elapsed time from when the peripheral devices 14 acquired the external information until the relay communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal converted by the communication conversion unit 152." In other words, "aligning the times at which the peripheral devices 14 acquired external information for the data of the plurality of peripheral devices 14" can be understood as calculating the correct "time at which the peripheral devices 14 acquired external information" as described above by the relay communication unit 153 using the "elapsed time from when the peripheral devices 14 acquired the external information until the relay communication unit 153 creates the data of the peripheral devices 14 to transmit to the robot control unit 24," which differs for each peripheral device 14.

[0121] Next, we will explain how the relay communication unit 153 transmits data of multiple peripheral devices 14, including the correct information on the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired external information, to the robot control unit 24.

[0122] There are two transmission methods by which the relay communication unit 153 transmits data of multiple peripheral devices 14, including the correct information on the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired external information, to the robot control unit 24 for the data of multiple peripheral devices 14.

[0123] The first transmission method is a method of transmitting data from multiple peripheral devices 14, with information on the "time at which the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information" added, all together to the robot control unit 24. The second transmission method is a method of transmitting data from multiple peripheral devices 14, with information on the "time at which the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information" added, individually for each peripheral device 14 to the robot control unit 24. The processing flows of the first and second transmission methods will be explained below. First, the manner in which the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 measure and output external information will be explained.

[0124] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating how the first peripheral device and the second peripheral device measure external information in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 illustrates how the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 measure the distance to the measurement target surface 400 when the robot hand 13 moves in a direction perpendicular to the measurement target surface 400 while moving away from the measurement target surface 400. FIG. 11 illustrates a case in which the robot hand 13 moves from a first position where the distance measured by the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142, which are distance sensors, is a first distance L1 to a second position where the distance measured by the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 is a second distance L2. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the robot hand in the state illustrated in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the connection state between the peripheral devices, the signal relay unit, and the robot control device provided in the robot in the state illustrated in FIG. 11.

[0125] 14 is a diagram illustrating the outputs of the first and second peripheral devices in the state shown in FIG. 11 and the read values ​​of the outputs of the peripheral devices read by the relay communication unit. In FIG. 14, the horizontal axis represents time. In the upper graph of FIG. 14, the vertical axis represents the output of the peripheral device 14. In the lower graph of FIG. 14, the vertical axis represents the output of the peripheral device 14 read by the relay communication unit 153. The output values ​​on the vertical axis of the upper graph of FIG. 14 and the output values ​​on the vertical axis of the lower graph of FIG. 14 both represent the distance between the peripheral device 14 and the measurement target surface 400.

[0126] In FIG. 14, the dashed line indicates the actual distance between the peripheral device 14 and the measurement target surface 400, which is the measurement distance measured by the peripheral device 14.

[0127] In the graph at the top of Fig. 14, a solid line A1 represents the output of the first peripheral device 141 at point A shown in Fig. 13. The solid line A1 represents the distance between the first peripheral device 141 and the measurement target surface 400, as indicated by the output of the first peripheral device 141. In the graph at the top of Fig. 14, a dashed line B1 represents the output of the second peripheral device 142 at point B shown in Fig. 13. The dashed line B1 represents the distance between the second peripheral device 142 and the measurement target surface 400, as indicated by the output of the second peripheral device 142.

[0128] In the graph at the bottom of FIG. 14 , the solid line A2 indicates the output of the first peripheral device 141 read by the relay unit communication unit 153. The solid line A2 represents the distance between the first peripheral device 141 and the measurement target surface 400, which is indicated by the output of the first peripheral device 141 read by the relay unit communication unit 153. In the graph at the bottom of FIG. 14 , the dashed-dotted line B2 indicates the output of the second peripheral device 142 read by the relay unit communication unit 153. The dashed-dotted line B2 represents the distance between the second peripheral device 142 and the measurement target surface 400, which is indicated by the output of the second peripheral device 142 read by the relay unit communication unit 153. The output of the first peripheral device 141 read by the relay unit communication unit 153 is the converted signal of the first peripheral device 141 converted by the communication conversion unit 152, as described above. The output of the second peripheral device 142 read by the relay communication unit 153 is the converted signal of the second peripheral device 142 converted by the communication conversion unit 152 as described above.

[0129] As shown in the upper graph of FIG. 14, the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 measure the distance between the peripheral device 14, which is external information, and the measurement target surface 400 at the same time, time t1. The first peripheral device 141 outputs a signal corresponding to the acquired external information when an output delay time TD1 has elapsed since time t1. The second peripheral device 142 outputs a signal corresponding to the acquired external information when an output delay time TD2 has elapsed since time t1.

[0130] In this way, the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 measure the distance between the peripheral device 14 and the measurement target surface 400, which is external information, at time t1, but the output of a signal corresponding to the acquired external information is delayed from time t1. The delay time TD1 from time t1 in the output of the first peripheral device 141 and the delay time TD2 from time t1 in the output of the second peripheral device 142 are the output processing times described above.

[0131] Here, the output processing time of the first peripheral device 141 is, for example, 1 ms. Also, the output processing time of the second peripheral device 142 is, for example, 20 ms. Here, the output processing time of the first peripheral device 141 is the time from when the first peripheral device 141 measures the distance between the first peripheral device 141 and the measurement target surface 400 until when the first peripheral device 141 outputs an output signal corresponding to the measured distance to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15. Also, here, the output processing time of the second peripheral device 142 is the time from when the second peripheral device 142 measures the distance between the second peripheral device 142 and the measurement target surface 400 until when the second peripheral device 142 outputs an output signal corresponding to the measured distance to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15.

[0132] 14, the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 measure the distance between the peripheral device 14, which is external information, and the measurement target surface 400 at the same time, time t1. Then, the relay unit communication unit 153 reads the output of the first peripheral device 141 at time t2, and reads the output of the second peripheral device 142 at time t3. That is, the relay unit communication unit 153 reads the output of the second peripheral device 142 at time t3, which is delayed from time t2, when the output of the first peripheral device 141 was read, in consideration of the difference between the output processing time of the first peripheral device 141 and the output processing time of the second peripheral device 142.

[0133] Even if measurements are performed at time t1 for both the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142, there is a delay between the time when the first peripheral device 141 outputs a signal and the time when the second peripheral device 142 outputs a signal, which corresponds to the difference between the output processing time of the first peripheral device 141 and the output processing time of the second peripheral device 142. For this reason, the relay communication unit 153 acquires the signal of the first peripheral device 141 and the signal of the second peripheral device 142 at an interval of the delay corresponding to the difference between the output processing time of the first peripheral device 141 and the output processing time of the second peripheral device 142.

[0134] That is, the relay unit communication unit 153 changes the timing of acquiring data of external information output from the plurality of peripheral devices 14 based on the difference in output processing time between when the peripheral devices 14 acquire the external information and when they output the external information. This allows the relay unit communication unit 153 to acquire data of external information measured at the same time, time t1, by the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142. That is, the output of the first peripheral device 141 read by the relay unit communication unit 153 at time t2 and the output of the second peripheral device 142 read by the relay unit communication unit 153 at time t3 are both information indicating external information measured at the same time, time t1.

[0135] In the lower graph of Fig. 14, time t2 is the time when signal processing time TP1 has elapsed since the time when output delay time TD1 has elapsed. Time t3 is the time when signal processing time TP2 has elapsed since the time when output delay time TD2 has elapsed. Signal processing time TP1 is the processing time required for communication conversion unit 152 to convert the output signal output from first peripheral device 141 into a converted signal. Signal processing time TP2 is the processing time required for communication conversion unit 152 to convert the output signal output from second peripheral device 142 into a converted signal.

[0136] Next, the process flow of the first transmission method will be described. Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating the process flow of the first transmission method in embodiment 2. The following describes the case where first peripheral device 141 and second peripheral device 142 are distance sensors.

[0137] First, in step S110, the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142, which are distance sensors, acquire external information at time t1. That is, the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 measure the external information at the same time. The external information here is the distance to the measurement target surface 400. That is, the external information acquired by the first peripheral device 141 is the distance between the first peripheral device 141 and the measurement target surface 400. The external information acquired by the second peripheral device 142 is the distance between the second peripheral device 142 and the measurement target surface 400. Time t1, which is the time when the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 acquire the external information, is set as the reference time, which is the start time of a series of processes. At time t1, the elapsed time, which is the time that has elapsed since the start of the series of processes, is "0 ms."

[0138] Next, in step S120, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the first peripheral device 141 outputs a signal to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15 in accordance with external information acquired by the first peripheral device 141. That is, the first peripheral device 141 outputs an output signal corresponding to the external information acquired by the first peripheral device 141 to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15 based on the external information acquired by the first peripheral device 141. The output signal output from the first peripheral device 141 is input to the communication conversion unit 152 via the communication connector 151. The time required from when the first peripheral device 141 acquires the external information to when the first peripheral device 141 outputs the output signal, i.e., the output processing time of the first peripheral device 141, is "1 ms." The elapsed time from when the first peripheral device 141 outputs the output signal is "1 ms."

[0139] Meanwhile, in step S120, as a process related to the second peripheral device 142, the second peripheral device 142 is executing an output process to output a signal in accordance with external information acquired by the second peripheral device 142, and is in a state of waiting for the output process to be processed.

[0140] Next, in step S130, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the communication conversion unit 152 converts the output signal output by the first peripheral device 141 into a converted signal, which is a signal in a format that can be acquired by the relay unit communication unit 153. The elapsed time at the point in time when the communication conversion unit 152 converts the output signal of the first peripheral device 141 into the converted signal is "2 ms." The communication conversion unit 152 outputs the converted signal to the relay unit communication unit 153.

[0141] In step S130, as a process related to the second peripheral device 142, the second peripheral device 142 continues to be in a state of waiting for output processing from step S120 described above.

[0142] Next, in step S140, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the relay unit communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal of the first peripheral device 141 converted by the communication conversion unit 152 at time t2. After the communication conversion unit 152 converts the output signal of the first peripheral device 141 into a converted signal in step S130, the time required for the relay unit communication unit 153 to acquire the converted converted signal of the first peripheral device 141 is "1 ms." The elapsed time at the time when the relay unit communication unit 153 acquires the converted converted signal of the first peripheral device 141 is "3 ms."

[0143] In step S140, as a process related to the second peripheral device 142, the second peripheral device 142 continues to be in a state of waiting for output processing from step S120 described above.

[0144] Next, in step S150, as processing related to the first peripheral device 141, the relay communication unit 153 creates data D1, which is data of the first peripheral device 141 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24, based on the acquired conversion signal of the first peripheral device 141. Here, the relay communication unit 153 includes information on time t1, which is the time when the first peripheral device 141 acquired external information, in the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24. The elapsed time at the time when the relay communication unit 153 created the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 is "4 ms".

[0145] Here, the relay unit communication unit 153 refers to information about the first peripheral device 141, which is stored in the relay unit storage unit 155, that is about “the time that has elapsed since the peripheral device 14 acquired external information until the relay unit communication unit 153 creates data about the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24.” Then, the relay unit communication unit 153 calculates the “time that the first peripheral device 141 acquired external information” by subtracting “the time that has elapsed since the first peripheral device 141 acquired external information until the relay unit communication unit 153 creates data about the first peripheral device 141 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24” from the time that the data D1 about the first peripheral device 141 was created.

[0146] Then, the relay communication unit 153 adds the calculated information of "the time when the first peripheral device 141 acquired the external information" to the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24. As a result, the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 includes the information of "the time when the first peripheral device 141 acquired the external information."

[0147] In step S150, as a process related to the second peripheral device 142, the second peripheral device 142 continues to be in a state of waiting for output processing from step S120 described above.

[0148] Next, in step S160, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the relay unit communication unit 153 stores and saves the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 in the relay unit memory unit 155 of the signal relay unit 15. The elapsed time at the point when the relay unit communication unit 153 stores and saves the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 in the relay unit memory unit 155 of the signal relay unit 15 is "5 ms".

[0149] The first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 are different devices, and even if the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 acquire external information at the same time, there is a difference in output processing time between the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142. For this reason, the relay unit communication unit 153 needs to wait after acquiring the converted signal of the first peripheral device 141 until it is able to acquire the converted signal of the second peripheral device 142. Therefore, the relay unit communication unit 153 stores the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 in the relay unit storage unit 155 of the signal relay unit 15. Thereafter, the relay unit communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal of the second peripheral device 142 when it is time to acquire the converted signal of the second peripheral device 142.

[0150] In step S160, as a process related to the second peripheral device 142, the second peripheral device 142 continues to be in a state of waiting for output processing from step S120 described above.

[0151] Next, in step S170, as a process related to the second peripheral device 142, the second peripheral device 142 outputs a signal to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15 in accordance with external information acquired by the second peripheral device 142 from a state of waiting for output processing. That is, the second peripheral device 142 outputs an output signal corresponding to the external information acquired by the second peripheral device 142 to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15 based on the external information acquired by the second peripheral device 142. The output signal output from the second peripheral device 142 is input to the communication conversion unit 152 via the communication connector 151. The time required from when the second peripheral device 142 acquires the external information to when the second peripheral device 142 outputs the output signal, i.e., the output processing time of the second peripheral device 142, is "20 ms." The elapsed time at the time when the second peripheral device 142 outputs the signal is "20 ms."

[0152] On the other hand, in step S170, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the first peripheral device 141 enters a state of waiting for processing.

[0153] Next, in step S180, as processing related to the second peripheral device 142, the communication conversion unit 152 converts the output signal output by the second peripheral device 142 into a converted signal, which is a signal in a format that can be acquired by the relay unit communication unit 153. The elapsed time at the point in time when the communication conversion unit 152 converts the output signal of the second peripheral device 142 into the converted signal is "21 ms." The communication conversion unit 152 outputs the converted converted signal to the relay unit communication unit 153.

[0154] Also, in step S180, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the first peripheral device 141 continues to be in a state of waiting for processing from the above-mentioned step S170.

[0155] Next, in step S190, as processing related to the second peripheral device 142, the relay unit communication unit 153 acquires the converted signal of the second peripheral device 142 converted by the communication conversion unit 152 at time t3. After the communication conversion unit 152 converts the output signal of the second peripheral device 142 into a converted signal in step S180, the time required for the relay unit communication unit 153 to acquire the converted converted signal of the second peripheral device 142 is "1 ms." The elapsed time at the time when the relay unit communication unit 153 acquires the converted converted signal of the second peripheral device 142 is "22 ms."

[0156] Also, in step S190, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the first peripheral device 141 continues to be in a state of waiting for processing from the above-mentioned step S170.

[0157] Next, in step S200, as processing related to the second peripheral device 142, the relay communication unit 153 creates data D2, which is data of the second peripheral device 142 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24, based on the acquired conversion signal of the second peripheral device 142. Here, the relay communication unit 153 includes information on time t1, which is the time when the second peripheral device 142 acquired external information, in the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24. The elapsed time at the time when the relay communication unit 153 created the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 is "23 ms".

[0158] Here, the relay unit communication unit 153 refers to information about the second peripheral device 142, which is stored in the relay unit storage unit 155, that is about “the time that has elapsed since the peripheral device 14 acquired external information until the relay unit communication unit 153 creates data about the peripheral device 14 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24.” Then, the relay unit communication unit 153 calculates the “time that the second peripheral device 142 acquired external information” by subtracting “the time that has elapsed since the second peripheral device 142 acquired external information until the relay unit communication unit 153 creates data about the second peripheral device 142 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24” from the time that the data D2 about the second peripheral device 142 was created.

[0159] Then, the relay communication unit 153 adds the calculated information of "the time when the second peripheral device 142 acquired the external information" to the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24. As a result, the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 includes the information of "the time when the second peripheral device 142 acquired the external information."

[0160] In step S200, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the first peripheral device 141 continues to be in a state of waiting for processing from step S170 described above.

[0161] Next, in step S210, as a process related to the second peripheral device 142, the relay unit communication unit 153 stores and saves the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 in the relay unit memory unit 155 of the signal relay unit 15. The elapsed time at the point when the relay unit communication unit 153 stores and saves the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 in the relay unit memory unit 155 of the signal relay unit 15 is "24 ms".

[0162] In step S210, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the first peripheral device 141 continues to be in a state of waiting for processing from step S170 described above.

[0163] Next, in step S220, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142, the relay unit communication unit 153 reads and acquires the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 from the relay unit storage unit 155. The elapsed time at the time when the relay unit communication unit 153 acquires the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 from the relay unit storage unit 155 is "25 ms".

[0164] Next, in step S230, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142, the relay communication unit 153 transmits data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 to the robot control unit 24. The relay communication unit 153 creates data to be transmitted that combines data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and data D2 of the second peripheral device 142, and transmits the data to be transmitted to the robot control unit 24. The elapsed time at the time when the relay communication unit 153 transmits data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 to the robot control unit 24 is "26 ms."

[0165] Here, in the process of creating data for transmission that combines data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and data D2 of the second peripheral device 142, data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 is stored in relay unit memory 155, but depending on the method of creating the data for transmission, data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 may not need to be stored in relay unit memory 155.

[0166] This allows the relay communication unit 153 to simultaneously transmit data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and data D2 of the second peripheral device 142, which are external information measured at time t1 in the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142, together to the robot control unit 24. In other words, the relay communication unit 153 can simultaneously transmit external information measured in the first peripheral device 141 and external information measured in the second peripheral device 142, which are external information measured at the same time in multiple peripheral devices 14, together to the robot control unit 24.

[0167] The robot control unit 24 simultaneously receives data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and data D2 of the second peripheral device 142, which are external information measured by the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 at time t1. Then, the robot control unit 24 acquires information on time t1, which is the time when the first peripheral device 141 measured the external information, contained in the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141. The robot control unit 24 also acquires information on time t1, which is the time when the second peripheral device 142 measured the external information, contained in the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142. By comparing the information on the time when the first peripheral device 141 measured the external information, acquired from the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141, with the information on the time when the second peripheral device 142 measured the external information, acquired from the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142, the robot control unit 24 can recognize that the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 are external information acquired at the same time, time t1.

[0168] As a result, the robot control unit 24 can accurately control the operation of the robot 1 by using the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142, which are the "external information acquired by the peripheral devices 14," and taking into account the difference between the "time when the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 acquired the external information" and the "current time."

[0169] 15 is processing related to external information measured by the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 at time t1. Meanwhile, the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 continue to acquire the external information and continue to transmit signals corresponding to the acquired external information to the communication converter 152. That is, the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 continue to measure the external information even after time t1. Then, processing similar to the processing shown in FIG. 15 is performed on the external information measured by the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 at the same time after time t1.

[0170] Next, the processing flow of the second transmission method will be described. Fig. 16 is a diagram illustrating the processing flow of the second transmission method in embodiment 2. In the following, a case where the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 are distance sensors will be described.

[0171] First, in step S310, the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142, which are distance sensors, acquire external information at time t1. That is, the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 measure the external information at the same time. The external information here is the distance to the measurement target surface 400. That is, the external information acquired by the first peripheral device 141 is the distance between the first peripheral device 141 and the measurement target surface 400. The external information acquired by the second peripheral device 142 is the distance between the second peripheral device 142 and the measurement target surface 400. Time t1, which is the time when the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 acquire the external information, is set as the reference time, which is the start time of a series of processes. At time t1, the elapsed time, which is the time that has elapsed since the start of the series of processes, is "0 ms."

[0172] Next, in step S320, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the first peripheral device 141 outputs a signal to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15 in accordance with external information acquired by the first peripheral device 141. That is, the first peripheral device 141 outputs an output signal corresponding to the external information acquired by the first peripheral device 141 to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15 based on the external information acquired by the first peripheral device 141. The output signal output from the first peripheral device 141 is input to the communication conversion unit 152 via the communication connector 151. The time required from when the first peripheral device 141 acquires the external information to when the first peripheral device 141 outputs the output signal, i.e., the output processing time of the first peripheral device 141, is "1 ms." The elapsed time from when the first peripheral device 141 outputs the signal is "1 ms."

[0173] Meanwhile, in step S320, as a process related to the second peripheral device 142, the second peripheral device 142 is executing an output process to output a signal in accordance with external information acquired by the second peripheral device 142, and is in a state of waiting for the output process to be processed.

[0174] Thereafter, steps S330 to S350 are performed, which are the same as steps S130 to S150 described above.

[0175] Next, in step S360, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the relay communication unit 153 transmits data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 to the robot control unit 24. The elapsed time at the time when the relay communication unit 153 transmits data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 to the robot control unit 24 is "5 ms".

[0176] In step S360, as a process related to the second peripheral device 142, the second peripheral device 142 continues to be in a state of waiting for output processing from step S320 described above.

[0177] Next, in step S370, as a process related to the second peripheral device 142, the second peripheral device 142 outputs a signal to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15 in accordance with external information acquired by the second peripheral device 142 from a state of waiting for output processing. That is, the second peripheral device 142 outputs an output signal corresponding to the external information acquired by the second peripheral device 142 to the communication conversion unit 152 of the signal relay unit 15 based on the external information acquired by the second peripheral device 142. The output signal output from the second peripheral device 142 is input to the communication conversion unit 152 via the communication connector 151. The time required from when the second peripheral device 142 acquires the external information to when the second peripheral device 142 outputs the output signal, i.e., the output processing time of the second peripheral device 142, is "20 ms." The elapsed time at the time when the second peripheral device 142 outputs the signal is "20 ms."

[0178] On the other hand, in step S370, as a process related to the first peripheral device 141, the first peripheral device 141 enters a state of waiting for processing.

[0179] Thereafter, steps S380 to S400 are performed, which are the same as steps S180 to S200 described above.

[0180] Next, in step S410, as a process related to the second peripheral device 142, the relay communication unit 153 transmits data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 to the robot control unit 24. The elapsed time at the time when the relay communication unit 153 transmits data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 to the robot control unit 24 is "24 ms".

[0181] As a result, the relay communication unit 153 can individually transmit the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142, which are external information acquired by the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 at time t1, to the robot control unit 24 in the order in which the converted signals of the peripheral devices 14 were acquired. In other words, the relay communication unit 153 can individually transmit the external information acquired by the first peripheral device 141 and the external information acquired by the second peripheral device 142, which are external information acquired at the same time, to the robot control unit 24.

[0182] The robot control unit 24 individually receives data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and data D2 of the second peripheral device 142, which are external information measured by the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 at time t1. Then, the robot control unit 24 acquires information on time t1, which is the time when the first peripheral device 141 measured the external information, contained in the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141. The robot control unit 24 also acquires information on time t1, which is the time when the second peripheral device 142 measured the external information, contained in the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142. The robot control unit 24 compares the information on the time when the first peripheral device 141 measured the external information, acquired from the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141, with the information on the time when the second peripheral device 142 measured the external information, acquired from the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142, thereby being able to recognize that the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142 are external information acquired at the same time, time t1.

[0183] As a result, the robot control unit 24 can accurately control the operation of the robot 1 by using the data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and the data D2 of the second peripheral device 142, which are the "external information acquired by the peripheral devices 14," and taking into account the difference between the "time when the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 acquired the external information" and the "current time."

[0184] 16 is processing related to external information measured by the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 at time t1. Meanwhile, the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 continue to acquire the external information and continue to transmit signals corresponding to the acquired external information to the communication converter 152. That is, the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 continue to measure the external information even after time t1. Then, processing similar to the processing shown in FIG. 16 is performed on the external information measured by the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 at the same time after time t1.

[0185] As described above, the relay communication unit 153 has a first transmission method in which external information data acquired from a plurality of peripheral devices 14 is transmitted to the robot control device 2 in a lump, and a second transmission method in which external information data acquired from a plurality of peripheral devices 14 is transmitted to the robot control device 2 individually for each peripheral device 14. and The external information data acquired from the plurality of peripheral devices 14 is transmitted to the robot control device 2 using one of the transmission methods.

[0186] Furthermore, the relay unit storage unit 155 stores information for executing the first transmission method and the second transmission method. Specific examples of the information for executing the first transmission method and the second transmission method include information on the output processing time of each peripheral device 14, information for each peripheral device 14 on "the elapsed time from when the peripheral device 14 acquires external information until the relay unit communication unit 153 creates data for the peripheral device 14 to transmit to the robot control unit 24," and a program for the relay unit communication unit 153 to execute the first transmission method and the second transmission method.

[0187] In the robot system 100, the robot control unit 24 or the robot control device 2 may be replaced due to a malfunction of the robot control unit 24. If information for executing the first transmission method and the second transmission method is stored in the robot control unit 24, when the robot control unit 24 or the robot control device 2 is replaced, the information for executing the first transmission method and the second transmission method must be set again in the robot control unit 24.

[0188] By storing information for executing the first transmission method and the second transmission method in the relay unit memory unit 155, even if the robot control unit 24 or the robot control device 2 is replaced, it is not necessary to set up the information for executing the first transmission method and the second transmission method again, thereby improving user convenience when replacing the robot control unit 24 or the robot control device 2.

[0189] The user can input transmission method designation information, which designates either the first transmission method or the second transmission method, to the robot control unit 24 of the robot control device 2 via an input device (not shown) or the control device communication unit 23. The robot control unit 24 transmits the input transmission method designation information to the relay unit communication unit 153 of the signal relay unit 15 via the control device communication unit 23. Upon receiving the transmission method designation information transmitted from the robot control unit 24, the relay unit communication unit 153 sets and stores the transmission method designation information in the relay unit storage unit 155. The relay unit communication unit 153 then transmits data of external information acquired from the multiple peripheral devices 14 to the robot control device 2 using the transmission method designated in the transmission method designation information set in the relay unit storage unit 155, either the first transmission method or the second transmission method.

[0190] In this way, in the robot system 100, the user can freely specify the transmission method for transmitting external information data acquired from the multiple peripheral devices 14 to the robot control device 2. Therefore, in accordance with changes in the peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot 1, the user can freely change the transmission method for transmitting external information data acquired from the multiple peripheral devices 14 by the relay communication unit 153 to the robot control device 2, and can set a transmission method appropriate for controlling the robot 1. As a result, in the robot system 100, when the number of peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 is increased or when the peripheral devices 14 attached to the robot hand 13 are changed, it becomes possible to send and receive data between each peripheral device 14 and the robot control unit 24 using a transmission method appropriate for controlling the robot 1.

[0191] As described above, in the second embodiment, a robot controlled by a control device is realized, which includes a robot arm, a plurality of peripheral devices arranged at the tip of the robot arm, and a signal relay unit capable of communicating with the peripheral devices and the control device and relaying communication between the peripheral devices and the control device, and the signal relay unit adds information about the time at which the peripheral devices acquired the external information to the data acquired from the peripheral devices and transmits the data to the control device.

[0192] As described above, in the second embodiment, the robot control unit 24 of the robot control device 2 can acquire, for each of the peripheral devices 14, "information acquired by the peripheral device 14" and "information on the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information" by receiving data of the multiple peripheral devices 14 transmitted from the relay communication unit 153. This allows the robot control unit 24 to use the acquired "time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information," and therefore can control the robot 1 taking into consideration the difference between the "time when the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information" and the "current time."

[0193] Furthermore, even when the robot control unit 24 acquires data from multiple peripheral devices 14, it can recognize the chronological relationship of the times at which the external information corresponding to the data of each peripheral device 14 was acquired by comparing the information on "the time at which the peripheral device 14 acquired the external information" contained in the data of each peripheral device 14. Therefore, the robot control unit 24 can accurately control the robot 1 by taking into account the times at which the multiple peripheral devices 14 acquired the external information.

[0194] In a typical robot system, when the robot control unit 24 receives data from multiple peripheral devices 14, if the robot control unit 24 cannot recognize when the external information indicated by the data of each peripheral device 14 was acquired, the robot control unit 24 cannot appropriately use the data from the multiple peripheral devices 14 to control the robot 1. However, the robot system 100 in the second embodiment can solve the above-mentioned problem, and the robot control unit 24 can accurately control the robot 1 by taking into account the times when the multiple peripheral devices 14 acquired the external information.

[0195] Furthermore, in the robot system 100, the relay unit time synchronization unit 154 and the control device time synchronization unit 21 synchronize the internal time of the signal relay unit 15 with the internal time of the robot control device 2. Therefore, in the robot system 100, the time axis of the signal relay unit 15 is synchronized with the time axis of the robot control device 2. As a result, in the robot system 100, the time axis of "the time when the peripheral device 14 acquired external information" calculated by the relay unit communication unit 153 can be synchronized with the time axis of the robot control unit 24. Therefore, the robot control unit 24 can accurately control the robot 1 by taking into account the times when the multiple peripheral devices 14 acquired external information.

[0196] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the relay communication unit 153 changes the timing of acquiring the data of the external information output from the plurality of peripheral devices 14, based on the difference in output processing time between when the peripheral device 14 acquires the external information and when it outputs the external information, among the plurality of peripheral devices 14. This allows the relay communication unit 153 to acquire the data of the external information measured by the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 at the same time, that is, at time t1.

[0197] This allows the robot control unit 24 to accurately control the operation of the robot 1 by using data D1 of the first peripheral device 141 and data D2 of the second peripheral device 142, which are external information measured at the same time, and taking into account the difference between the "time when the first peripheral device 141 and the second peripheral device 142 acquired the external information" and the "current time."

[0198] Next, the hardware configuration of each of the control units 80 according to the first embodiment will be described. The control unit 80 according to the first embodiment corresponds to the control unit time synchronization unit 21 and the robot control unit 24 of the robot control unit 2, and the communication conversion unit 152, the relay unit communication unit 153, and the relay unit time synchronization unit 154 of the signal relay unit 15 according to the first and second embodiments. Each function of the control unit 80 according to the first and second embodiments is realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware, or may be a processing unit that executes a program stored in a storage device.

[0199] When the processing circuit is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit may be a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or a combination thereof. Figure 17 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the functions of the control unit 80 according to the first and second embodiments are realized by hardware. The processing circuit 81 incorporates a logic circuit 81a that realizes the functions of the control unit 80.

[0200] When the processing circuit 81 is a processing device, the functions of the control unit 80 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware.

[0201] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a configuration in which the functions of the control unit 80 according to the first and second embodiments are implemented by software. The processing circuit 81 includes a processor 811 that executes a program 81b, a random access memory 812 that the processor 811 uses as a work area, and a storage device 813 that stores the program 81b. The processor 811 loads the program 81b stored in the storage device 813 onto the random access memory 812 and executes it, thereby realizing the functions of the control unit 80. The software or firmware is written in a programming language and stored in the storage device 813. The processor 811 may be, but is not limited to, a central processing unit. The storage device 813 may be a semiconductor memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The semiconductor memory may be a non-volatile memory or a volatile memory. In addition to semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) can be applied to the storage device 813. The processor 811 may output data such as a calculation result to the storage device 813 for storage, or may store the data in an auxiliary storage device (not shown) via the random access memory 812. By integrating the processor 811, the random access memory 812, and the storage device 813 on one chip, the functions of the control unit 80 can be realized by a microcomputer.

[0202] The processing circuit 81 realizes the functions of the control unit 80 by reading and executing the program 81b stored in the storage device 813. It can also be said that the program 81b causes the computer to execute the procedures and methods for realizing the functions of the control unit 80.

[0203] The processing circuit 81 may be configured so that some of the functions of the control unit 80 are realized by dedicated hardware, and some of the functions of the control unit 80 are realized by software or firmware.

[0204] In this way, the processing circuitry 81 can realize each of the above-described functions by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these.

[0205] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or different embodiments may be combined with each other. It is also possible to omit or modify parts of the configurations as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0206] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 robot, 2 robot control device, 3 cable, 4 communication line, 11 base unit, 12 robot arm, 13 robot hand, 13a connection unit, 14 peripheral device, 15 signal relay unit, 21 control device time synchronization unit, 22 control device memory unit, 23 control device communication unit, 24 robot control unit, 100 robot system, 121a first robot arm unit, 121b second robot arm unit, 122a first joint unit, 122b second joint unit, 122c third joint unit, 141 first peripheral device, 142 second peripheral device, 143 third peripheral device, 144 fourth peripheral device, 151 communication connector, 152 communication conversion unit, 153 relay unit communication unit, 154 relay unit time synchronization unit, 155 relay unit memory unit, 300 assembly table, 400 measurement target surface, D1, D2 data, L1 first distance, L2 2nd distance, P1, P2 period, T extension time, t1, t2, t3 time, W grasped object.

Claims

1. A robot controlled by a control device, A robotic arm, a plurality of peripheral devices arranged on the tip side of the robot arm; a signal relay unit provided inside the robot arm, capable of communicating with the peripheral devices using a plurality of different communication methods, capable of communicating with the control device by serial communication via a signal line disposed inside the robot arm, storing information on the priority of the peripheral devices individually determined for each of the plurality of peripheral devices, and relaying communication between the peripheral devices and the control device; Equipped with the signal relay unit, when communicating with the control device, prioritizes communication of information relating to a peripheral device having a high priority among the plurality of peripheral devices over communication of information relating to other peripheral devices among the plurality of peripheral devices; A robot characterized by:

2. the signal relay unit transmits to the control device data acquired by a peripheral device having a higher priority among the plurality of peripheral devices in preference to data acquired by other peripheral devices among the plurality of peripheral devices; The robot according to claim 1 .

3. The priority of the peripheral device stored in the signal relay unit is changeable; The robot according to claim 1 .

4. The communication method between the peripheral device and the signal relay unit can be set from a plurality of different communication methods; The robot according to claim 1 .

5. A robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4; a control device that communicates with the signal relay unit and controls the robot; A robot system comprising:

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