Leader-side control system and robot system equipped therewith

Abstract

To reduce the time and effort of an input operation of a user required when robot information on control of a follower robot is changed.SOLUTION: A leader side control system is caused to: receive, as new inspection information from a follower side control system, inspection information calculated on the basis of new robot information held by the follower side control system; determine whether or not the new robot information is different from the existing robot information on the basis of the new inspection information and the inspection information calculated on the basis of the existing robot information that has been already stored, causes the follower side control system to instruct communication with the leader side control device in accordance with reception of a prescribed input operation by a leader side input unit when it is determined that the new robot information is different from the existing robot information, and to receive the new robot information from the follower side control system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a leader-side control system and a robot system including the same.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a robot controller including a leader controller and a follower controller.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in a robot system including a leader-side control system that controls a leader robot and a follower-side control system that controls a follower robot, and operating the leader robot and the follower robot in cooperation, it is necessary to hold robot information regarding the control of the follower robot in both the follower-side control system and the leader-side control system. Therefore, when the robot information held in the follower-side control system is changed, it is necessary to cause the follower-side control system to transmit the new robot information to the leader-side control system. However, if the user is required to perform an input operation for communication on both the follower-side control system and the leader-side control system every time the robot information held in the follower-side control system is changed, it is troublesome.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object thereof is to reduce the labor of the user's input operation when the robot information held in the follower-side control system is changed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this disclosure provides a leader-side control system for controlling a leader robot, comprising: a leader-side input unit that accepts user input operations; a follower-side control system that controls a follower robot that receives inspection information calculated based on new robot information held by the follower-side control system as new inspection information; a leader-side control system that determines whether the new robot information and the existing robot information are different based on the new inspection information and inspection information calculated based on existing robot information already stored; and, if the determination determines that the new robot information and the existing robot information are different, the leader-side control system instructs the follower-side control system to communicate with the leader-side control system, either in response to the leader-side input unit accepting a predetermined input operation or automatically, and receives the new robot information from the follower-side control system.

[0007] As a result, when the robot information held in the follower-side control system is changed, the follower-side control system is instructed to communicate with the leader-side control device either in response to a predetermined input operation to the leader-side input unit, or automatically. Therefore, when the robot information held in the follower-side control system is changed, the leader-side control system can receive new robot information from the follower-side control system without the user having to perform an input operation to initiate communication with the follower-side control system, thus reducing the effort required for user input operations. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, the effort required for user input when robot information held in the follower-side control system is changed can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a robot system according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart illustrating the robot information setting process performed by the robot system. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing the output screen for specific information. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing the waiting screen. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing an error screen. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing the connection destination settings screen. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Figure 1 shows a robot system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This robot system 1 comprises a leader robot 10, a leader-side control system 20, a follower robot 30, a follower-side control system 40, and a dedicated communication line 50.

[0012] The leader robot 10 and the follower robot 30 each have multiple links 11, 31 and multiple rotary joints 12, 32. Motors (not shown) are provided at each joint 12, 32 of the leader robot 10 and the follower robot 30. The leader robot 10 and the follower robot 30 operate in coordination. For example, a workpiece (object to be processed) may be attached to the tip of one of the robots, the leader robot 10 or the follower robot 30, and an arc welding torch may be attached to the tip of the other robot. Alternatively, a workpiece may be attached to a rotating external shaft, and arc welding torches may be attached to the tips of both the leader robot 10 and the follower robot 30, so that welding is performed simultaneously with the two torches.

[0013] The leader-side control system 20 controls the leader robot 10. The leader-side control system 20 includes a leader-side control device 21 and a leader-side teach pendant 22. The leader-side teach pendant 22 includes a leader-side input unit 23 and a leader-side output unit 24.

[0014] The leader-side control unit 21 consists of a processor and memory. The leader-side control unit 21 receives input signals from the leader-side input unit 23 in response to user input operations. The leader-side control unit 21 also communicates with the follower-side control system 40. Furthermore, the leader-side control unit 21 performs various calculations based on the input signals from the leader-side input unit 23 and the information received from the follower-side control system 40, and outputs information corresponding to the calculation results to the follower-side control system 40 and the leader-side output unit 24.

[0015] The leader-side control device 21 holds robot information including multiple information sets and robot inspection information including robot inspection values ​​calculated for each information set.

[0016] Robot information is information relating to the follower robot 30 or the follower-side control system 40. Robot information includes, for example, sets of tool setting information, monitoring setting information, input / output setting information, fieldbus setting information, robot setting information, external axis setting information, and safety setting information. Tool setting information indicates the type of tool used, such as a torch, attached to the follower robot 30, the current shape of the tool, the current position of the tool, and the (maximum) number of tools used. Monitoring setting information indicates the movement range of each axis and external axis of the follower robot 30, whether or not to monitor whether each axis and external axis of the follower robot 30 are within a predetermined monitoring area, and what kind of area the predetermined monitoring area should be. The predetermined monitoring area can be set within the movement range and outside the movement range. Input / output setting information is information relating to the input and output of the follower-side control device 41 (described later), and includes, for example, information indicating the number of input / output terminals of the follower-side control device 41 (described later). Fieldbus configuration information includes the type of communication board to be used (supported standards), whether or not a communication board is used, and the input and output terminals to be used (start terminal number and end terminal number). Robot configuration information includes the model of the follower robot 30, the position of the motor's reference axis, the motor's maximum speed, reduction ratio, acceleration and other operating parameters, the installation angle of the follower robot 30, and information regarding the load. External axis configuration information includes the presence or absence of functions using external axes, the type of external axis, and the movement range of the external axis and other operating parameters. Safety configuration information indicates whether or not to enable functions for ensuring safety, such as having two CPUs execute common calculations in parallel and monitoring whether the calculation results match. Note that robot information may include other information not exemplified here.

[0017] Furthermore, the leader-side control device 21 holds version information indicating the version of the program (software) executed by the follower-side control device 41 (described later), and a version check value calculated based on this version information.

[0018] The robot inspection value and the version inspection value are the total (SUM value) of each information set or the CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) value.

[0019] The specific operation by the leader - side control device 21 will be described in detail later.

[0020] The leader - side input unit 23 receives the input operation of the user and transmits an input signal corresponding to the input operation to the leader - side control device 21. The leader - side input unit 23 is composed of, for example, a plurality of input buttons.

[0021] The leader - side output unit 24 outputs an image based on the information output by the leader - side control device 21. The leader - side output unit 24 is, for example, a display.

[0022] The follower - side control system 40 controls the follower robot 30. The follower - side control system 40 includes a follower - side control device 41 and a follower - side teach pendant 42. The follower - side teach pendant 42 includes a follower - side input unit 43 and a follower - side output unit 44.

[0023] The follower - side control device 41 is composed of a processor and a memory. The follower - side control device 41 receives an input signal from the follower - side input unit 43 corresponding to the input operation of the user. Also, the follower - side control device 41 communicates with the leader - side control system 20. Further, the follower - side control device 41 performs various calculations based on the input signal from the follower - side input unit 43 and the information received from the leader - side control device 21, and outputs information corresponding to the calculation result to the leader - side control system 20 or the follower - side output unit 44.

[0024] Similar to the leader - side control device 21, the follower - side control device 41 also holds robot information including a plurality of information sets and robot inspection information including robot inspection values calculated for each information set.

[0025] Furthermore, the follower-side control device 41 maintains version information indicating the version of the program (software) executed by the follower-side control device 41, and a version check value calculated based on this version information.

[0026] The specific operation of the follower-side control device 41 will be described in detail later.

[0027] The follower-side input unit 43 receives user input operations and transmits an input signal corresponding to those operations to the follower-side control device 41. The follower-side input unit 43 is composed of, for example, multiple input buttons.

[0028] The follower-side output unit 44 outputs an image based on the information output by the follower-side control device 41. The follower-side output unit 44 is, for example, a display.

[0029] In the robot system 1 configured as described above, in order for the leader robot 10 and the follower robot 30 to operate in coordination, it is necessary for the leader robot 10 to retain the latest robot information of the follower robot 30 when the connection between the leader robot 10 and the follower robot 30 is initiated. The actions that the robot system 1 performs when the connection between the leader robot 10 and the follower robot 30 is initiated will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 2.

[0030] First, when the user performs an input operation to request the start of connection to the leader-side input unit 23 of the leader-side control system 20, in S101, the leader-side control device 21 receives an input signal from the leader-side input unit 23 in response to this input operation and outputs a connection request to the follower-side control device 41.

[0031] Next, in S102, the follower-side control device 41 receives a connection request from the leader-side control device 21. In response, the follower-side control device 41 transmits the robot inspection information it holds as new inspection information to the leader-side control device 21. The new inspection information is information calculated based on the new robot information held by the follower-side control device 41. The follower-side control device 41 also transmits the version inspection value it holds to the leader-side control device 21. The leader-side control device 21 receives the new inspection information and the version inspection value from the follower-side control device 41.

[0032] Next, in S103, the reader-side control device 21 determines whether the version information has been changed based on the version check value received in S102 and the version check value already stored. Specifically, if the version check value received in S102 matches the version check value already stored, the reader-side control device 21 determines that the version information has not been changed. On the other hand, if the version check value received in S102 does not match the version check value already stored, the reader-side control device 21 determines that the version information has been changed. If the reader-side control device 21 determines that the version information has not been changed, it proceeds to S104; if it determines that the version information has been changed, it proceeds to S109.

[0033] In S104, the leader-side control device 21 determines whether the new robot information held by the follower-side control device 41 differs from the existing robot information already stored in the leader-side control device 21, based on the new inspection information received in S102 and the robot inspection information already stored in the leader-side control device 21. The robot inspection information already stored is information calculated based on the existing robot information. Specifically, if the new inspection information received in S102 matches the robot inspection information already stored in the leader-side control device 21 determines that the new robot information and the existing robot information are not different. On the other hand, if the new inspection information received in S102 does not match the robot inspection information already stored in the leader-side control device 21 determines that the new robot information and the existing robot information are different. If the leader-side control device 21 determines that the new robot information is the same as the existing robot information, it proceeds to process S108. However, if it determines that the new robot information is different from the existing robot information, it proceeds to process S105.

[0034] In S105, the reader-side control device 21 outputs image information of the output screen for specific information, which identifies the set of information that differs from the existing information, thereby causing the reader-side output unit 24 to output the output screen for specific information. Figure 3 illustrates the output screen for specific information. Figure 3 illustrates the case where the specific information identifies a set of tool setting information and a set of monitoring setting information. The set of information that differs from the existing information is identified based on the new inspection information received in S102 and the robot inspection information already stored. Specifically, a set of information in which the corresponding robot inspection value included in the new inspection information differs from the corresponding robot inspection value included in the robot inspection information already stored is identified as a set of information that differs from the existing information. When the output screen for specific information is output to the reader-side output unit 24 (the state in which the reader-side output unit 24 outputs specific information), the reader-side output unit 24 outputs text such as a question asking whether it is okay to continue the operation (whether it is okay to update the robot information of the reader-side control device 21), as well as YES and NO icons on the screen.

[0035] In S106, the reader-side control device 21 determines, based on the input signal from the reader-side input unit 23, whether the YES or NO icon was selected by the user's input operation to the reader-side input unit 23, given the output status of specific information. If the YES icon is selected, the reader-side control device 21 proceeds to S107; if the NO icon is selected, it proceeds to S109.

[0036] In S107, the leader-side control unit 21 instructs the follower-side control unit 41 to communicate with the leader-side control unit 21. In response to this instruction, the follower-side control unit 41 transmits the new robot information it holds to the leader-side control unit 21. The leader-side control unit 21 then receives the new robot information from the follower-side control unit 41 and updates its held robot information with the received robot information. It also updates its held robot inspection information with the new inspection information received in S102.

[0037] In S108, the leader-side control device 21 starts synchronized coordinated operation with the follower-side control device 41. The leader-side control device 21 also outputs a standby screen, as shown in Figure 4, to the leader-side output unit 24.

[0038] In S109, the leader-side control unit 21 does not automatically start cooperative operation with the follower-side control unit 41. The leader-side control unit 21 outputs image information of an error screen, as shown in Figure 5, to the leader-side output unit 24. As a result, the error screen is output to the leader-side output unit 24. To start cooperative operation from this state, the user must appropriately input to both the leader-side input unit 23 and the follower-side input unit 43 to output the connection destination setting screen, as shown in Figure 6, to both the leader-side output unit 24 and the follower-side output unit 44, set the IP address of the connection destination (the partner to cooperate with), and select the "Connect" icon.

[0039] In this embodiment, when the robot information held in the follower-side control system 40 is changed, the leader-side control system 20 receives an input operation (a predetermined input operation) to select the YES icon in a specific output state from the leader-side output unit 24, and in S107, instructs the follower-side control system 40 to communicate with the leader-side control device 21. Therefore, when the robot information held in the follower-side control system 40 is changed, the leader-side control system 20 can receive new robot information from the follower-side control system 40 without the user having to perform an input operation to start communication with the follower-side control system 40, thereby reducing the effort required for user input operations.

[0040] Furthermore, in S105, the leader-side control device 21 outputs specific information to the leader-side output unit 24, which identifies the information set that differs from the new information and the existing information. This allows the user to recognize which information set in the robot information has been updated. Also, if the user selects the NO icon in the output state of the specific information, the leader-side control device 21 does not automatically update the robot information. Therefore, malfunctions caused by the automatic updating of robot information can be prevented, and the safety of the robot system 1 can be enhanced.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the leader-side control device 21 may always proceed to the S107 process if it determines in S104 that the new robot information is different from the existing robot information, without performing the S105 and S106 processes. In other words, if the leader-side control device 21 determines in S104 that the new robot information is different from the existing robot information, it may automatically instruct the follower-side control system 40 to communicate with the leader-side control device 21 and receive the new robot information from the follower-side control system 40.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the robot system 1 is provided with only one set of follower robot 30 and follower-side control system 40. However, the present invention can also be applied to a robot system 1 in which multiple sets of follower robot 30 and follower-side control system 40 are provided, and multiple follower-side control systems 40 are connected to a common leader-side control system 20. [Industrial applicability]

[0043] The leader-side control system and robot system equipped therewith are useful because they can reduce the effort required for user input when robot information held in the follower-side control system is changed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 1. Robot System 10 Leader Robots 20. Leader-side control system 21 Leader-side control device 23. Reader-side input section 24 Leader-side output section 30 Follower Robots 40 Follower-side control system

Claims

1. A leader-side control system for controlling a leader robot, A reader-side input unit that accepts user input, The system receives inspection information calculated based on new robot information held in the follower-side control system that controls the follower robot, as new inspection information from the follower-side control system. Based on the new inspection information and the inspection information calculated based on the existing robot information already stored, a determination is made as to whether the new robot information and the existing robot information are different. A leader-side control system characterized by comprising: a leader-side control system that, in the determination described above, determines that the new robot information is different from the existing robot information, and in response to the leader-side input unit accepting a predetermined input operation, or automatically, instructs the follower-side control system to communicate with the leader-side control system, and receives the new robot information from the follower-side control system.

2. In the leader-side control system according to claim 1, It also includes a leader-side output section, The robot information includes multiple sets of information, The aforementioned inspection information includes inspection values ​​calculated for each information set, The aforementioned leader-side control device is A leader-side control system characterized in that, in the determination described above, if it is determined that the new robot information and the existing robot information are different, the leader-side output unit outputs specific information that identifies the set of information that is different between the new information and the existing information, and the communication instruction and reception of the new robot information are performed in accordance with the leader-side input unit accepting the predetermined input operation while the leader-side output unit is outputting the specific information.

3. The leader-side control system according to claim 1, The aforementioned follower-side control system, The aforementioned leader robot, A robot system comprising the aforementioned follower robot.

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