Terminal support device, teaching operation device, and robot control system

Abstract

This terminal support device comprises an attachment pedestal for detachably attaching a portable communication terminal that commands operation of a robot via wireless communication to a control device of the robot in accordance with teaching operation content, a safety switch that outputs a safety signal for the control device, an interface unit to which is connected an electrical cable comprising a signal line for transmission of the safety signal to the control device and a power source line for transmission of electric power that is supplied from the control device, and a wireless power transmission unit that performs wireless power transmission, to the portable communication terminal, of a portion of the electric power that is received from the control device via the interface unit and the power source line of the electrical cable.

Description

Terminal support device, teaching operation device, and robot control system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a terminal support device, a teaching operation device, and a robot control system.

[0002] To teach industrial robots, a teaching operation device called a teaching pendant is used, which is connected to the robot's control device. Using the teaching operation device, workers can register and edit robot operation programs, set conditions, display status, teach the robot, and manually operate it. The teaching operation device is equipped with safety switches such as an enable switch and an emergency stop button to prevent the robot from operating unexpectedly and ensure the safety of surrounding machinery and workers.

[0003] In recent years, from the viewpoints of cost reduction and ensuring versatility, teaching operation devices that teach and operate robots using general-purpose mobile communication terminals such as tablets, rather than dedicated hardware, are being used. In these teaching operation devices, the mobile communication terminal is detachably attached to a terminal support device that serves as a base member provided with a safety switch.

[0004] For example, paragraph

[0025] of Patent Document 1 states, "Meanwhile, the operating device 18 can be used either attached to the control device 12 or separated as shown in FIG. 1. When the operating device 18 is separated, the maintenance manager of the system 10 supports the operating device 18 with one hand and operates the switches 18a arranged on the surface and the touch switches displayed on the display unit 22 with the other hand to operate the system 10 and teach the articulated robot 16."

[0005] For example, paragraph

[0018] of Patent Document 2 states, "The charging device 2 may be, for example, a charging stand on which the portable operating device 1 is placed during charging, such as the cradle shown in Figures 2 and 3, or may be a device that is connected to the portable operating device 1 by a cable or the like during charging."

[0006] JP 2002-154085 A JP 2015-006115 A

[0007] In a teaching operation device consisting of a general-purpose mobile communication terminal and a terminal support device, the terminal support device, which is equipped with a safety switch, is typically connected to the robot's control device via wired communication to ensure the safety of the robot control system. Furthermore, since the mobile communication terminal has wireless communication capabilities, it is relatively easy to establish wireless communication between the mobile communication terminal and the robot's control device for teaching operations using the mobile communication terminal. However, when implementing teaching operations using the mobile communication terminal, it is important to ensure stable power supply for the mobile communication terminal. In a teaching operation device consisting of a mobile communication terminal and a terminal support device, it is desirable to easily ensure power supply for the mobile communication terminal.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the terminal support device includes a mounting base for detachably mounting a mobile communication terminal that commands the robot's operation via wireless communication to the robot's control device in accordance with the content of the teaching operation, a safety switch that outputs a safety signal to the control device, an interface unit to which an electrical cable is connected, the electrical cable consisting of a signal line that transmits the safety signal to the control device and a power line that transmits power supplied from the control device, and a wireless power transmission unit that wirelessly supplies a portion of the power received from the control device via the power line of the electrical cable and the interface unit to the mobile communication terminal.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a robot control system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a terminal support device in the robot control systems according to the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a mobile communication terminal in the robot control system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram explaining wireless power feeding and power distribution in the robot control system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a robot control system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a mobile communication terminal in the robot control system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram explaining wireless power feeding and power distribution in the robot control system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Hereinafter, a terminal support device, a teaching operation device, and a robot control system according to embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions will be assigned the same reference numerals. Duplicate descriptions of those components may be omitted. In the following description, "wireless power supply" refers to power supply that is performed without using a cable (i.e., wirelessly).

[0011] <First embodiment> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a robot control system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a terminal support device in the robot control systems according to the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure. The block diagram shown in Fig. 2 applies not only to the first embodiment but also to the second embodiment. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a mobile communication terminal in the robot control system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] According to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the robot control system 1000 includes a teaching operation device 100 and a control device 200 .

[0013] The robot 300 and the control device 200 are connected via a cable 41 (hereinafter referred to as the "robot cable 41") to enable wired communication and power transmission. The robot 300's operation is controlled by the control device 200. The control device 200 includes an arithmetic processing device (at least one processor) and a storage device (at least one memory). Examples of the arithmetic processing device include an IC, an LSI, a CPU, an MPU, and a DSP. Examples of the memory include electrically erasable and recordable non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (registered trademark), or high-speed read / write random access memory such as a DRAM or an SRAM. The control device 200, which includes the arithmetic processing device, is a functional module implemented by, for example, control software (a computer program) executed on a processor. By operating the arithmetic processing device in accordance with the control software program, each process of the control device 200 that controls the operation of the robot 300 can be realized. The control software program for executing the processes of the control device 200 may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. Alternatively, the control device 200 may be realized as a semiconductor integrated circuit in which a computer program for realizing the functions is written.

[0014] The control device 200 is connected to an external commercial power source (not shown). The control device 200 distributes the power supplied from the commercial power source into power for driving the control device 200 itself and power supplied to the terminal support device 1. A portion of the power supplied from the commercial power source to the control device 200 is supplied to the terminal support device 1 via a power line 31-2 of an electric cable 31, which will be described later. Note that the control device 200 may supply a portion of the power supplied from the commercial power source to the robot 300 as power for driving the robot 300.

[0015] The teaching operation device 100 is composed of a mobile communication terminal 2 and a terminal support device 1 .

[0016] The terminal support device 1 includes a mounting base 11 , a safety switch 12 , an interface unit 13 , and a wireless power transmission unit 14 .

[0017] The terminal support device 1 is connected to the control device 200 via an electric cable 31 so as to be able to perform wired communication and transmit power. The electric cable 31 is made up of a signal line 31-1 that transmits a safety signal from the safety switch 12 to the control device 200 and a power line 31-2 that transmits power from the control device 200 to the terminal support device 1. The electric cable 31 is connected to the interface unit 13.

[0018] Mounting base 11 is used to detachably mount mobile communication terminal 2 to terminal support device 1. Mounting base 11 has a holding mechanism 15 for holding mobile communication terminal 2. In Fig. 1, holding mechanism 15 is, as an example, configured as a spring mechanism that holds mobile communication terminal 2 by clamping it on mounting base 11. Other examples of holding mechanism 15 include, for example, an air spring mechanism that uses air pressure to hold mobile communication terminal 2 on mounting base 11, a magnet or electromagnet that holds mobile communication terminal 2 on mounting base 11 by magnetic force, a screw that screws mobile communication terminal 2 to mounting base 11, and an adhesive member that adheres mobile communication terminal 2 to mounting base 11.

[0019] The safety switch 12 outputs a safety signal to the control device 200. The safety signal output from the safety switch is sent to the control device 200 via a signal line of the electric cable 31. The safety switch 12 has an enable switch 12-1 and an emergency stop button 12-2.

[0020] While the enable switch 12-1 is continuously pressed (ON), it permits the control device 200 to control the operation of the robot 300 via the mobile communication terminal 2, and when it is released from the pressed (ON) state, it outputs an enable signal as a safety signal that prohibits the control device 200 from controlling the operation of the robot 300 via the mobile communication terminal 2. An enable signal according to the operation content of the enable switch 12-1 is transmitted to the control device 200 via the interface unit 13 of the terminal support device 1 and the signal line 31-1 of the electric cable 31. For example, while the enable switch 12-1 is not pressed, the robot 300 will not move no matter what operation is performed via the mobile communication terminal 2. While the enable switch 12-1 is pressed, the robot 300 can be operated via the mobile communication terminal 2.

[0021] The emergency stop button 12-2 outputs an emergency stop signal as a safety signal to the control device 200, instructing the robot 300 to make an emergency stop. When the emergency stop button 12-2 is pressed (turned on), the emergency stop signal is transmitted to the control device 200 via the interface unit 13 of the terminal support device 1 and the signal line 31-1 of the electric cable 31. When the control device 200 receives the emergency stop signal, it performs control to bring the robot 300 to an emergency stop.

[0022] Regardless of whether the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2 are attached or not, there is no direct electrical wired connection or wired communication via a cable between the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2. However, wireless power feeding is performed from the terminal support device 1 to the mobile communication terminal 2. Wireless power feeding is power feeding that is performed without a cable (i.e., wirelessly) and without contact. The terminal support device 1 is equipped with a wireless power transmitting unit 14 for wireless power feeding to the mobile communication terminal 2.

[0023] The terminal support device 1 wirelessly supplies a portion of the power supplied from the control device 200 to the mobile communication terminal 2 via the wireless power transmission unit 14. As will be described later, the mobile communication terminal 2 is provided with a wireless power receiving unit 21 that receives the power wirelessly supplied from the terminal support device 1.

[0024] Methods used for wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2 include, for example, magnetic field coupling (electromagnetic induction), electric field coupling, magnetic field resonant coupling (magnetic resonance), and electric field resonant coupling (electric field resonance).

[0025] For example, when magnetic field resonant coupling is used for wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2, the wireless power transmitting unit 14 is configured with a resonant circuit made up of a power transmitting coil 141 and a power transmitting resonant capacitor 142. The power transmitting coil 141 magnetically resonates with the power receiving coil 211 (described later) due to power flowing into the wireless power transmitting unit 14 at a predetermined resonant frequency. As a result, power is transmitted wirelessly from the power transmitting coil 141 to the power receiving coil 211.

[0026] Here, magnetic resonance coupling is used as an example, and therefore the wireless power transmitting unit 14 is assumed to have a power transmitting coil 141 and a power transmitting resonance capacitor 142. When wireless power feeding is performed between the terminal stand device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2 by magnetic field coupling, electric field coupling, or electric field resonance coupling, the wireless power transmitting unit 14 has a configuration appropriate for each type of coupling.

[0027] The mobile communication terminal 2 is detachably attached to the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1. The mobile communication terminal 2 is a general-purpose portable information communication terminal capable of wireless communication with an external device. Examples of the mobile communication terminal 2 include a tablet terminal (tablet PC) and a smartphone.

[0028] The portable communication terminal 2 includes a wireless power receiving unit 21 , a control unit 22 , a battery 23 , a touch panel 24 , and a wireless communication unit 25 .

[0029] The wireless power receiving unit 21 receives power wirelessly fed from the wireless power transmitting unit 14 of the terminal support device 1 .

[0030] For example, when magnetic field resonant coupling is used for wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2, the wireless power receiving unit 21 is configured with a resonant circuit including a power receiving coil 211 and a power receiving resonant capacitor 212. Various parameters of the power receiving coil 211 and the power receiving resonant capacitor 212 (such as the outer diameter and inner diameter of the power receiving coil 211, the number of turns of the power receiving coil 211, and the capacitance of the power receiving resonant capacitor 212) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the wireless power receiving unit 21 approximately matches the resonant frequency of the wireless power transmitting unit 14. If the deviation between the resonant frequency of the wireless power receiving unit 21 and the resonant frequency of the wireless power transmitting unit 14 is small, for example, if the resonant frequency of the wireless power receiving unit 21 is within a range of ±20% of the resonant frequency of the wireless power transmitting unit 14, the resonant frequency of the wireless power receiving unit 21 and the resonant frequency of the wireless power transmitting unit 14 do not necessarily need to match. The numerical values ​​given here are merely examples, and other numerical values ​​may be used.

[0031] In the first embodiment, magnetic resonance coupling is used as an example, and therefore the wireless power receiving unit 21 includes a power receiving coil 211 and a power receiving resonance capacitor 212. When wireless power feeding is performed between the terminal stand device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2 by magnetic field coupling, electric field coupling, or electric field resonance coupling, the wireless power receiving unit 21 has a configuration appropriate for each type of coupling.

[0032] When the power receiving coil 211 is located at a distance that allows magnetic resonance with the power transmitting coil 141, the power receiving coil 211 receives power transmitted from the power transmitting coil 141. The distance that allows magnetic resonance with the power receiving coil 211 is preferably set to a distance that is longer than the distance between the power receiving coil 211 and the power transmitting coil 141 when the mobile communication terminal 2 is attached to the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, for example, by several tens of percent. Note that the numerical values ​​given here are merely examples, and other numerical values ​​may also be used. When the distance between the power receiving coil 211 and the power transmitting coil 141 is longer than the distance that allows magnetic resonance with the power transmitting coil 141, the power receiving coil 211 cannot receive power transmitted from the power transmitting coil 141.

[0033] The power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 is distributed to each unit in the mobile communication terminal 2 , including the control unit 22 , the battery 23 , the touch panel 24 , and the wireless communication unit 25 .

[0034] Battery 23 is a rechargeable secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery. Battery 23 stores the driving power required for the operation of mobile communication terminal 2. When power received by wireless power receiving unit 21 from wireless power transmitting unit 14 is supplied, battery 23 is charged. When battery 23 is charged, the state of charge (SOC) of battery 23 is restored. Depending on the charging status (charging rate) of battery 23, at least one of the power received by wireless power receiving unit 21 and the power stored in battery 23 is used as driving power for each unit in mobile communication terminal 2, including control unit 22, touch panel 24, and wireless communication unit 25.

[0035] The touch panel 24 has the functions of both displaying a screen and accepting input operations. The touch panel 24 can accept input operations using a capacitance type, an electromagnetic induction type, a resistive film type, a surface acoustic wave type, an infrared type, or the like.

[0036] The wireless communication unit 25 performs wireless communication with an external device. The control device 200 is also provided with a wireless communication interface (not shown), and the wireless communication unit 25 is capable of wireless communication with the control device 200. For example, short-range wireless communication is used as the wireless communication between the wireless communication unit 25 and the control device 200. Narrow-range wireless communication refers to communication with a shorter communication distance than wide-area wireless communication, specifically, communication with a communication distance of, for example, less than 10 meters. Note that the numerical values ​​given here are merely examples, and other numerical values ​​may also be used. As the short-range wireless communication, various short-range wireless communication with a short communication distance can be used, and for example, communication compliant with any communication standard established by IEEE, ISO, IEC, etc. (e.g., Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), etc.) is used. The example shown in FIG. 1 illustrates a case where communication compliant with Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is performed as an example. Furthermore, technologies used for short-range wireless communication include, for example, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) and radio frequency identification (RFID).

[0037] In addition, the wireless communication unit 25 can connect to an Internet line via a mobile phone communication system (LTE, 3G line, 4G line, 5G line, etc.), which is a wide-area wireless communication system, and perform data communication with an external device on the Internet line.

[0038] The control unit 22 performs various controls of the mobile communication terminal 2. The control unit 22 controls various circuits including a touch panel 24 and a wireless communication unit 25 in the mobile communication terminal 2.

[0039] The control unit 22 includes a communication interface 221, a memory 222, and a processor 223. The communication interface 221, the memory 222, and the processor 223 are electrically connected to one another via a bus.

[0040] The communication interface 221 has an interface circuit for electrically connecting the control unit 22 to various devices (e.g., the touch panel 24 and the wireless communication unit 25) that make up the mobile communication terminal 2. The control unit 22 communicates with other devices via the communication interface 221.

[0041] The memory 222 is configured from an electrically erasable and recordable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (registered trademark), or a high-speed read / write random access memory such as a DRAM or SRAM. The memory 222 stores an operating program for executing various processes in the processor 223, various application software programs, and various data used when the processor 223 executes various processes.

[0042] The processor 223 may be, for example, an IC, an LSI, a CPU, an MPU, or a DSP. The processor 223 may further include an arithmetic circuit such as a logical operation unit or a numerical operation unit. The processor 223 executes various processes based on the programs stored in the memory 222.

[0043] Because the mobile communication terminal 2 is a general-purpose information communication terminal, various application software programs can be installed in the memory 222. One of these programs is a teaching software program that commands the control device 200 to operate the robot 300 in accordance with the contents of a teaching operation for the robot 300. The teaching software program is an application software program for registering and editing operation programs for the robot 300, setting conditions, displaying status, teaching the robot 300, and manually operating the robot 300.

[0044] The control unit 22 executes a teaching software program that controls the control device 200 so that the robot 300 operates in accordance with the operation content related to the teaching operation for the robot 300. When the worker operates the mobile communication terminal 2 in the teaching operation device 100, the mobile communication terminal 2 instructs the control device 200 to operate the robot 300 via wireless communication in accordance with the teaching operation content. The mobile communication terminal 2 realizes a wireless teaching operation function that operates (teach) the robot 300 by having the processor 223 execute arithmetic processing in accordance with the teaching software program installed in the memory 222 in the control unit 22.

[0045] 4 is a diagram illustrating wireless power supply and power distribution in the robot control system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that in FIG. 4, the touch panel 24 and the wireless communication unit 25 in the mobile communication terminal 2 are omitted from the illustration.

[0046] The control device 200 supplies a portion of the power supplied from an external commercial power source to the terminal support device 1 via the power line 31-2 of the electric cable 31. The terminal support device 1 uses a portion of the supplied power as drive power for various parts within the terminal support device 1, including the enable switch 12-1 and the emergency stop button 12-2. The terminal support device 1 also sends the remaining portion of the supplied power to the wireless power transmission unit 14.

[0047] When the mobile communication terminal 2 is attached to the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, wireless power supply becomes possible between the wireless power transmitting unit 14 of the terminal support device 1 and the wireless power receiving unit 21 of the mobile communication terminal 2. For example, when magnetic resonance coupling is used for wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2, when the mobile communication terminal 2 is attached to the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the power receiving coil 211 of the wireless power receiving unit 21 is positioned at a distance where it can magnetically resonate with the power transmitting coil 141 of the wireless power transmitting unit 14. The power transmitting coil 141 of the wireless power transmitting unit 14 magnetically resonates with the power receiving coil 211 of the wireless power receiving unit 21 due to power flowing into the wireless power transmitting unit 14 at a predetermined resonant frequency. As a result, power is wirelessly supplied from the wireless power transmitting unit 14 to the wireless power receiving unit 21. Note that magnetic resonance coupling is used here as an example. When wireless power is supplied between the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2 via magnetic field coupling, electric field coupling, or electric field resonant coupling, wireless power is supplied according to an operating principle corresponding to each type of coupling. When power is received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 from the wireless power transmitting unit 14, the battery 23 is charged. Furthermore, depending on the charging status (charging rate) of the battery 23, at least one of the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 and the power stored in the battery 23 is used as driving power for each unit in the mobile communication terminal 2, including the control unit 22, the touch panel 24, and the wireless communication unit 25. Furthermore, depending on the charging status (charging rate) of the battery 23, the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 that exceeds the driving power for each unit in the mobile communication terminal 2, including the control unit 22, the touch panel 24, and the wireless communication unit 25, may be used to charge the battery 23.

[0048] When the mobile communication terminal 2 is removed from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the power receiving coil 211 of the wireless power receiving unit 21 is not positioned at a distance that allows magnetic field resonance with the power transmitting coil 141 of the wireless power transmitting unit 14. Therefore, wireless power is not supplied from the wireless power transmitting unit 14 to the wireless power receiving unit 21. When the mobile communication terminal 2 is removed from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the power stored in the battery 23 is used as driving power for each unit in the mobile communication terminal 2, including the control unit 22, the touch panel 24, and the wireless communication unit 25.

[0049] According to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, wireless power is supplied from the terminal support device 1 to the mobile communication terminal 2, so there is no need to connect the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2 with a power cable, and the driving power of the mobile communication terminal 2 can be easily secured.

[0050] According to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, there is no need for a power cable to supply power to the mobile communication terminal 2. This makes it possible to reduce the weight of the teaching operation device 100. It is also possible to avoid power supply problems such as unexpected battery failure due to the power cable being accidentally disconnected or broken.

[0051] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, since a power cable is not required, there is no need to provide a connector for connecting the power cable in either the terminal stand device 1 or the mobile communication terminal 2. Therefore, there is no need to provide a dustproof structure or a waterproof structure for the connector in either the terminal stand device 1 or the mobile communication terminal 2. This reduces manufacturing costs, improves convenience during use, and expands the usable environments.

[0052] For example, industrial robots may be installed in explosion-proof spaces depending on their intended use. Generally, when a power cable or other electrically conductive cable is inserted or removed from a connector, a small electrical spark may occur at the connector's terminal. An electrical spark occurring in the explosion-proof space could lead to an explosion. Therefore, for safety reasons, inserting or removing cables into or from connectors within the explosion-proof space is prohibited. Therefore, to charge a mobile communication terminal using a power cable, the mobile communication terminal must be temporarily removed from the explosion-proof space, making it impossible to use the mobile communication terminal during this time. In contrast, according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the power cable is not inserted or removed from the connector, so the mobile communication terminal 2 can be charged within the explosion-proof space where the industrial robot is installed, and the mobile communication terminal 2 can be continuously used.

[0053] Second Embodiment Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a robot control system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a mobile communication terminal in the robot control system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that Fig. 2 applies to the block diagram of the terminal support device 1 in the robot control system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0054] The second embodiment of the present disclosure differs from the first embodiment in that the mobile communication terminal 2 does not include a battery.

[0055] According to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the robot control system 1000 includes a teaching operation device 100 and a control device 200 .

[0056] The control device 200 connected to the robot 300 via the robot cable 41 is as described in the first embodiment with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. The control device 200 is connected to an external commercial power supply (not shown). The control device 200 distributes the power supplied from the commercial power supply into drive power for the control device 200 itself and power supplied to the terminal support device 1. A portion of the power supplied from the commercial power supply to the control device 200 is supplied to the terminal support device 1 via the power line 31-2 of the electric cable 31. The control device 200 may also supply a portion of the power supplied from the commercial power supply to the robot 300 as drive power.

[0057] The teaching operation device 100 is composed of a mobile communication terminal 2 and a terminal support device 1 .

[0058] The terminal support device 1 is as described in the first embodiment with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 4. The terminal support device 1 uses a portion of the supplied power as drive power for various components within the terminal support device 1, including the enable switch 12-1 and the emergency stop button 12-2. The terminal support device 1 also wirelessly supplies a portion of the remaining supplied power to the mobile communication terminal 2 via the wireless power transmission unit 14. In the second embodiment, as an example, magnetic resonance coupling is used for wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2.

[0059] The mobile communication terminal 2 is detachably attached to the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1. The mobile communication terminal 2 is a general-purpose portable information communication terminal capable of wireless communication with external devices. Examples of the mobile communication terminal 2 include a tablet terminal (tablet PC) and a smartphone.

[0060] The mobile communication terminal 2 includes a wireless power receiving unit 21, a control unit 22, a touch panel 24, and a wireless communication unit 25. The wireless power receiving unit 21, the control unit 22, the touch panel 24, and the wireless communication unit 25 are as described in the first embodiment with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. In the second embodiment, as an example, magnetic resonance coupling is used for wireless power supply between the terminal stand device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2, and therefore the wireless power receiving unit 21 is configured as a resonant circuit including a power receiving coil 211 and a power receiving resonant capacitor 212. The relationship between the resonant frequency of the wireless power receiving unit 21 and the resonant frequency of the wireless power transmitting unit 14 and the positional relationship between the power receiving coil 211 and the power transmitting coil 141 are as described in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, magnetic resonance coupling is used as an example, and therefore the wireless power receiving unit 21 includes the power receiving coil 211 and the power receiving resonant capacitor 212. When wireless power supply is performed between the terminal stand device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2 by magnetic field coupling, electric field coupling, or electric field resonance coupling, the wireless power receiving unit 21 has a configuration corresponding to each type of coupling.

[0061] In the second embodiment, the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 is distributed to each unit in the mobile communication terminal 2 including the control unit 22 , the touch panel 24 , and the wireless communication unit 25 .

[0062] 7 is a diagram illustrating wireless power supply and power distribution in a robot control system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that in FIG. 7, the touch panel 24 and the wireless communication unit 25 in the mobile communication terminal 2 are omitted from the illustration.

[0063] The control device 200 supplies a portion of the power supplied from an external commercial power source to the terminal support device 1 via the power line 31-2 of the electric cable 31. The terminal support device 1 uses a portion of the supplied power as drive power for various parts within the terminal support device 1, including the enable switch 12-1 and the emergency stop button 12-2. The terminal support device 1 also sends the remaining portion of the supplied power to the wireless power transmission unit 14.

[0064] When the mobile communication terminal 2 is attached to the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, wireless power is supplied between the wireless power transmitting unit 14 of the terminal support device 1 and the wireless power receiving unit 21 of the mobile communication terminal 2. For example, when magnetic resonance coupling is used for wireless power supply between the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2, by attaching the mobile communication terminal 2 to the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the power receiving coil 211 of the wireless power receiving unit 21 is positioned at a distance where it can magnetically resonate with the power transmitting coil 141 of the wireless power transmitting unit 14. The power transmitting coil 141 of the wireless power transmitting unit 14 magnetically resonates with the power receiving coil 211 of the wireless power receiving unit 21 due to power flowing into the wireless power transmitting unit 14 at a predetermined resonant frequency. As a result, power is supplied wirelessly from the wireless power transmitting unit 14 to the wireless power receiving unit 21. The power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 from the wireless power transmitting unit 14 is used as driving power for each unit in the mobile communication terminal 2 including the control unit 22 , the touch panel 24 , and the wireless communication unit 25 .

[0065] When the mobile communication terminal 2 is removed from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, the power receiving coil 211 of the wireless power receiving unit 21 is not positioned at a distance that allows magnetic field resonance with the power transmitting coil 141 of the wireless power transmitting unit 14. Therefore, wireless power supply from the wireless power transmitting unit 14 to the wireless power receiving unit 21 is not performed. As a result, no driving power is supplied to the various units within the mobile communication terminal 2, including the control unit 22, the touch panel 24, and the wireless communication unit 25, and the mobile communication terminal 2 does not operate. In other words, the control unit 22 does not execute the teaching software program. Furthermore, the wireless communication unit 25 does not perform wireless communication with an external device, and of course does not perform wireless communication with the control device 200.

[0066] In this manner, when the mobile communication terminal 2 is attached to the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, power is wirelessly supplied from the terminal support device 1 to the mobile communication terminal 2, causing the mobile communication terminal 2 to operate. Therefore, the worker can use the mobile communication terminal 2 to perform teaching operations. When the worker removes the mobile communication terminal 2 from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, power is no longer wirelessly supplied from the terminal support device 1 to the mobile communication terminal 2, causing the mobile communication terminal 2 to not operate, and wireless communication between the wireless communication unit 25 and the control device 200 is forcibly interrupted. Therefore, the worker cannot use the mobile communication terminal 2 to perform teaching operations. When the mobile communication terminal 2 is then attached to the terminal support device 1 again, power is wirelessly supplied from the terminal support device 1 to the mobile communication terminal 2, causing the mobile communication terminal 2 to operate, allowing the worker to perform teaching operations to the robot 300 using the mobile communication terminal 2.

[0067] According to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, similar to the first embodiment, wireless power is supplied from the terminal support device 1 to the mobile communication terminal 2, so there is no need to connect the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2 with a power cable, and the driving power of the mobile communication terminal 2 can be easily secured.

[0068] According to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, a battery is not provided inside the portable communication terminal 2, which allows for reduction in weight and cost of the portable communication terminal 2. Furthermore, no power cable is required to supply power to the portable communication terminal 2. Therefore, the weight of the teaching operation device 100 can be reduced.

[0069] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, since no battery is provided inside the mobile communication terminal 2, there is no need to worry about the battery running out unexpectedly, and there is no need to replace the battery due to battery deterioration.

[0070] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, similarly to the first embodiment, a power cable is not required, and therefore, neither the terminal support device 1 nor the mobile communication terminal 2 need to be provided with a connector for connecting the power cable. Therefore, neither the terminal support device 1 nor the mobile communication terminal 2 need to be provided with a dustproof or waterproof structure for the connector. This reduces manufacturing costs, improves convenience during use, and expands the usable environments. Furthermore, because the power cable does not need to be inserted or removed from the connector, the mobile communication terminal 2 can be charged in an explosion-proof space where an industrial robot is installed, allowing for continuous use of the mobile communication terminal 2.

[0071] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, simply by an operator removing the mobile communication terminal 2 from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1, wireless communication between the wireless communication unit 25 and the control device 200 is forcibly interrupted, and the operator is prohibited from teaching the robot 300 using the mobile communication terminal 2. Therefore, for example, if a dangerous situation arises in which teaching the robot 300 using the mobile communication terminal 2 must be immediately stopped, safety can be easily ensured simply by the operator removing the mobile communication terminal 2 from the mounting base 11 of the terminal support device 1. The teaching operation device 100 including the terminal support device 1 and the mobile communication terminal 2 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure complies with, for example, the safety standard EN62745 (IEC62745) for cableless control of machinery.

[0072] <Modification of Second Embodiment> As described above, the second embodiment of the present disclosure does not include a battery in the mobile communication terminal 2. As a modification of the second embodiment, a capacitor may be provided to temporarily store power received by the wireless power receiving unit in order to stabilize the operation of the mobile communication terminal 2.

[0073] <Ensuring Driving Power for Portable Communication Terminal> According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to easily ensure driving power for the portable communication terminal 2 in the teaching operation device 100 configured with the portable communication terminal 2 and the terminal support device 1, and in the robot control system 1000 including this teaching operation device 100. In other words, it is possible to resolve various difficulties in ensuring power supply, such as unexpected battery exhaustion for the portable communication terminal 2 and use in an environment where it is difficult to ensure driving power.

[0074] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. Various additions, substitutions, modifications, partial deletions, etc. are possible in these embodiments without departing from the gist of the present disclosure or the spirit of the present disclosure derived from the content of the claims and their equivalents. These embodiments can also be implemented in combination. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the order of each operation and the order of each process are shown as examples and are not limited to these. The same applies when numerical values ​​or mathematical expressions are used in the description of the above-described embodiments.

[0075] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiment and modifications.

[0076] (Supplementary Note 1) A terminal support device 1 comprises: a mounting base 11 for detachably mounting a portable communication terminal 2 that commands the robot 300 to operate via wireless communication to a control device 200 of the robot 300 in accordance with the content of a teaching operation; a safety switch 12 that outputs a safety signal to the control device 200; an interface unit 13 to which an electric cable 31 is connected, the electric cable 31 being made up of a signal line 31-1 that transmits a safety signal to the control device 200 and a power line 31-2 that transmits power supplied from the control device 200; and a wireless power transmission unit 14 that wirelessly supplies a portion of the power received from the control device 200 via the power line 31-2 of the electric cable 31 and the interface unit 13 to the portable communication terminal 2. (Supplementary Note 2) The safety switch 12 has: an enable switch that, when pressed, outputs an enable signal as a safety signal that allows the control device 200 to control the operation of the robot 300, and, when released, does not allow the control device 200 to control the operation of the robot 300; and an emergency stop button that, when operated, outputs an emergency stop signal as a safety signal to the control device 200 to make an emergency stop of the robot 300. (Supplementary Note 3) A teaching operation device 100 comprising: a portable communication terminal 2 that commands the control device 200 of the robot 300 to operate via wireless communication in accordance with the content of a teaching operation; and the terminal support device 1 according to the content of the teaching operation; (Supplementary Note 4) The teaching operation device 100 according to Supplementary Note 3, wherein the mobile communication terminal 2 includes a battery 23 that stores power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21, and at least one of the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 and the power stored in the battery 23 is used as drive power for the mobile communication terminal 2 depending on the charge status of the battery 23. (Supplementary Note 5) The teaching operation device 100 according to Supplementary Note 3, wherein the power received by the wireless power receiving unit 21 is used as drive power for the mobile communication terminal 2. (Supplementary Note 6) The teaching operation device 100 according to any one of Supplementary Notes 3 to 5, wherein the mobile communication terminal 2 includes a control unit 22 that executes a teaching software program that controls the control device 200 so that the robot 300 operates in accordance with the content of a teaching operation given to the robot 300.(Supplementary Note 7) The teaching operation device 100 according to any one of Supplementary Notes 3 to 6, wherein the mobile communication terminal 2 is one of a tablet terminal and a smartphone. (Supplementary Note 8) A robot control system 1000 including: a control device 200 for a robot 300; and the teaching operation device 100 according to any one of Supplementary Notes 3 to 7.

[0077] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Terminal support device 2 Portable communication terminal 11 Mounting base 12 Safety switch 12-1 Enable switch 12-2 Emergency stop button 13 Interface unit 14 Wireless power transmission unit 15 Holding mechanism 21 Wireless power receiving unit 22 Control unit 23 Battery 24 Touch panel 25 Wireless communication unit 31 Electric cable 31-1 Signal line 31-2 Power line 41 Robot cable 41 100 Teaching operation device 141 Power transmission coil 142 Power transmission resonance capacitor 200 Control device 211 Power receiving coil 212 Power receiving resonance capacitor 300 Robot 1000 Robot control system

Claims

1. a mounting base for detachably mounting a mobile communication terminal that wirelessly controls a robot to operate according to a teaching operation; a safety switch for outputting a safety signal to the control device; an interface unit to which an electric cable including a signal line for transmitting the safety signal to the control device and a power supply line for transmitting power supplied from the control device is connected; a wireless power transmitting unit that wirelessly supplies a portion of the power received from the control device via the power line of the electric cable and the interface unit to the mobile communication terminal; A terminal support device comprising:

2. The safety switch is an enable switch that outputs, as the safety signal, an enable signal that permits the control device to control the operation of the robot when pressed and does not permit the control device to control the operation of the robot when released; an emergency stop button that outputs an emergency stop signal to the control device as the safety signal when operated, the emergency stop signal instructing the control device to make an emergency stop of the robot; The terminal support device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. a mobile communication terminal for wirelessly communicating with a robot control device to instruct the robot to operate in accordance with a teaching operation; A terminal support device according to claim 2, Equipped with The portable communication terminal is a teaching operation device having a wireless power receiving unit that receives power wirelessly supplied from the wireless power transmitting unit of the terminal support device.

4. the mobile communication terminal includes a battery that stores the power received by the wireless power receiving unit; The teaching operation device according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of the power received by the wireless power receiving unit and the power stored in the battery is used as driving power for the mobile communication terminal depending on a charging state of the battery.

5. The teaching operation device according to claim 3 , wherein the power received by the wireless power receiving unit is used as driving power for the mobile communication terminal.

6. The teaching operation device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the mobile communication terminal is provided with a control unit that executes a teaching software program that controls the control device so that the robot operates in accordance with the content of a teaching operation for the robot.

7. The teaching operation device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the mobile communication terminal is one of a tablet terminal and a smartphone.

8. A control device for the robot; A teaching operation device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, A robot control system comprising: