Teaching pendant and output method

Abstract

The present invention provides a teaching pendant including: a screen; a prescribed operation detection unit that detects a prescribed operation in cases where the screen is not updating; an error detection unit that, when the prescribed operation is detected, detects an error related to the screen that is not updating; a determination unit that determines the content of an output pattern according to the type of error detected by the error detection unit; and an external output unit that externally outputs the output pattern determined by the determination unit.

Description

Teaching control panel and output method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a teaching pendant and an output method.

[0002] A robot system is known that includes a robot, a robot control unit that controls the robot, and a teaching operation panel that is connected to the robot control device via a wire or wirelessly and that inputs operation instructions for the robot (e.g., teaching operations) to the robot control unit. See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-043307.

[0003] JP 2018-043307 A

[0004] However, there are cases where the screen of the teaching pendant cannot be updated while the user is teaching the robot. However, the user cannot determine whether the reason for the screen being unable to be updated lies in the teaching pendant itself, the robot control device, or the communication device. Therefore, it takes time to investigate the reason for the inability to update the screen of the teaching pendant.

[0005] In addition, if the screen of the teaching pendant becomes unable to be updated, the user may determine that the teaching pendant is no longer operable and restart the teaching pendant. However, in such a case, the memory unit of the teaching pendant may not store the circumstances under which the screen of the teaching pendant became unable to be updated. Therefore, even if the user investigates the cause of the screen being unable to be updated after restarting the teaching pendant, the investigation may not be possible.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a teaching pendant and an output method that can inform the user of the reason why the screen cannot be updated through a means other than the screen, even if the screen cannot be updated.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a teaching operation panel including a screen, a predetermined operation detection unit that detects a predetermined operation when the screen cannot be updated, an error detection unit that detects an error related to the screen that cannot be updated when the predetermined operation is detected, a determination unit that determines the content of an output pattern depending on the type of error detected by the error detection unit, and an external output unit that outputs the output pattern determined by the determination unit to the outside.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an output method that detects a predetermined operation when it is not possible to update the screen of a teaching operation panel, and when the predetermined operation is detected, detects an error related to the screen that cannot be updated, determines the content of an output pattern according to the type of the detected error, and outputs the determined output pattern to the outside.

[0009] The objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0010] It is a block diagram of a system including a teaching pendant based on a first embodiment. It is a first flowchart showing the operation of the teaching pendant shown in Figure 1. It is a second flowchart showing the operation of the teaching pendant shown in Figure 1. It is a diagram showing the relationship between errors and output patterns. It is a block diagram of a system including a teaching pendant based on a second embodiment. It is a flowchart showing the operation of the teaching pendant shown in Figure 4.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Corresponding components are designated by common reference numerals throughout the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system including a teaching pendant according to a first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a robot system 1a according to the first embodiment mainly includes a robot 10, a robot control device 20 that controls the robot 10 and includes a second communication unit 29, and a teaching pendant 30 that includes a first communication unit 39 that communicates with the second communication unit 29 wirelessly or via wire.

[0012] The second communication unit 29 may be built into the robot control device 20 or may be externally attached to the robot control device 20. Similarly, the first communication unit 39 may be built into the teaching pendant 30 or may be externally attached to the teaching pendant 30.

[0013] The robot 10 may be a vertical articulated robot equipped with multiple drive units M1-Mn, such as motors. Each of the multiple drive units M1-Mn is equipped with a detector E1-En, such as an encoder, that detects the position and / or speed of the corresponding sensor axis. Although not shown in the drawings, the drive units M1-Mn may also be equipped with various sensors, such as temperature sensors.

[0014] The robot 10, which includes the multiple drive units M1 to Mn, is controlled by a robot control device 20. As is well known, the robot control device 20 controls the multiple drive units M1 to Mn using the detection results of the multiple detection units E1 to En. The robot control device 20 is a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage unit, and other components connected to each other via a bus. The storage unit may be either a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory. The storage unit stores operating programs for operating the robot 10 and various data.

[0015] The robot control device 20 is connected to the teaching pendant 30 via a second communication unit 29 and a first communication unit 39. Wireless or wired communication is performed between the second communication unit 29 and the first communication unit 39, and data and commands are transmitted and received between them. The second communication unit 29 and the first communication unit 39 may be the same device.

[0016] Typically, a user uses a teaching pendant 30 to output commands to the robot control device 20, and the teaching pendant 30 operates the robot 10 based on the commands. As shown in FIG. 1 , the teaching pendant 30 is a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a first memory unit 41, a second memory unit 42, and the like, all connected to each other via a bus. The teaching pendant 30 may be a smartphone or a tablet. Each of the first memory unit 41 and the second memory unit 42 may be either a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory.

[0017] The first memory unit 41 temporarily stores signals and / or data supplied from the robot control device 20 through the communication units 29, 39, and also temporarily stores signals and / or data to be supplied from the teaching operation panel 30 to the robot control device 20 through the communication units 29, 39.

[0018] The second storage unit 42 stores a table T that shows the relationship between the error e and the output patterns P, P', as shown in Fig. 3, which will be described later. Since there are multiple types of errors e1 to en (where "n" is a natural number), the second storage unit 42 stores output patterns P1 to Pn and output patterns P'1 to P'n with multiple contents corresponding to the multiple types of errors e1 to en. The errors e1 to en and the output patterns P1 to Pn and P'1 to P'n will be described later.

[0019] The teaching pendant 30 includes a plurality of keys 48 to be operated by the user, and a screen 49 that is updated as appropriate based on the operation details of the plurality of keys 48 and data sent from the first storage unit 41. The screen 49 may be a liquid crystal panel or an organic display. Alternatively, the plurality of keys 48 may be superimposed on the screen 49 in the form of a touch panel.

[0020] 1, the CPU of the teaching pendant 30 includes a screen output unit 31 that supplies the screen 49 with content to be output on the screen 49 based on the operation content of the multiple keys 48 and data sent from the first storage unit 41. The screen output unit 31 is a controller for the screen 49, and may be provided in the teaching pendant 30 separately from the CPU.

[0021] Furthermore, the CPU of the teaching pendant 30 includes a predetermined operation detection unit 32 that detects a predetermined operation when updating of the screen 49 is not possible. The predetermined operation detection unit 32 determines the type of predetermined operation A, A'. As a result, as will be described later, the types of output patterns P, P' are determined depending on the type of predetermined operation A, A'.

[0022] In this specification, the term "predetermined operation" refers to a specific operation predetermined by the user or the manufacturer, and there may be multiple types of predetermined operations. For example, when the user presses a first set of predetermined keys 48 among the multiple keys 48 in a predetermined order or simultaneously, the predetermined operation detection unit 32 determines that "predetermined operation A" has been performed.

[0023] Similarly, when the user presses a predetermined second set of keys 48 among the multiple keys 48 in a predetermined order or simultaneously, the predetermined operation detection unit 32 determines that a "predetermined operation A'" different from the predetermined operation A has been performed.

[0024] Alternatively, it may be determined that a predetermined operation A has been performed when the user presses a predetermined operation key 47a provided on the teaching operation panel 30, and that a predetermined operation A' has been performed when the user presses another predetermined operation key 47b provided on the teaching operation panel 30.

[0025] Furthermore, the CPU of the teaching pendant 30 includes an error detection unit 33 that detects an error related to the screen 49 that cannot be updated when a predetermined operation is detected, and a determination unit 34 that determines the content of an output pattern depending on the type of error detected by the error detection unit 33. Here, the term "error" in this specification refers to "the cause of the screen 49 being unable to be updated."

[0026] Furthermore, the CPU of the teaching pendant 30 includes an external output unit 35 that outputs the output pattern determined by the determination unit 34 to the outside. The external output unit 35 is connected to a first output unit 45 and / or a second output unit 46. The first output unit 45 and the second output unit 46 output the output pattern to the user without using the screen 49 of the teaching pendant 30.

[0027] It is preferable that the first output unit 45 and the second output unit 46 have different configurations. Typically, the first output unit 45 is a speaker that outputs sound or voice, and the second output unit 46 can be a vibration generator that vibrates the entire teaching pendant 30.

[0028] The screen output unit 31, the predetermined operation detection unit 32, the error detection unit 33, the determination unit 34, and the external output unit 35 included in the CPU of the teaching pendant 30 are functional modules realized by, for example, a computer program executed on the CPU. The computer program for executing the processes of the screen output unit 31, the predetermined operation detection unit 32, the error detection unit 33, the determination unit 34, and the external output unit 35 included in the CPU of the teaching pendant 30 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.

[0029] Figures 2A and 2B are flowcharts showing the operation of the teaching pendant shown in Figure 1. The contents shown in Figures 2A and 2B are automatically performed by the CPU of the teaching pendant 30 when the screen 49 of the teaching pendant 30 cannot be updated. Alternatively, the contents shown in Figures 2A and 2B may be performed in response to a user operation.

[0030] In step S1, the predetermined operation detection unit 32 detects whether the user has performed a predetermined operation through the key 48 or the predetermined operation keys 47a, 47b. If it is detected in step S2a that the user has performed a predetermined operation, the process proceeds to step S2b. If it is not detected that the user has performed a predetermined operation, the process returns to step S1.

[0031] In step S2b, the predetermined operation detection unit 32 determines the type of predetermined operation. Specifically, if the user presses a predetermined first set of keys 48 among the multiple keys 48 in a predetermined order or simultaneously, it is determined that predetermined operation A has been performed, and the process proceeds to step S3a. Similarly, if the user presses a predetermined second set of keys 48 among the multiple keys 48 in a predetermined order or simultaneously, it is determined that predetermined operation A' has been performed, and the process proceeds to step S3b.

[0032] Alternatively, it may be determined that the predetermined operation A has been performed when the user presses the predetermined operation key 47a, and that the predetermined operation A' has been performed when the user presses another predetermined operation key 47b. In either case, if it is determined that the predetermined operation A has been performed, the process proceeds to step S3a, and if it is determined that the predetermined operation A' has been performed, the process proceeds to step S3b. Note that similar processing is also performed when there are other types of predetermined operations.

[0033] In step S3a, error detection unit 33 detects at least one error e from among multiple types of errors e1 to en ("n" is a natural number). For example, error e1 means that a problem has occurred in the related software, causing screen output unit 31 to not properly output the content that should be displayed on screen 49 to screen 49. Error detection unit 33 accesses screen output unit 31 and determines that error e1 has occurred based on the content output from screen output unit 31.

[0034] Furthermore, error e2 means that the screen output unit 31 is unable to properly output the content that should be displayed on the screen 49 to the screen 49 due to a problem in the related hardware, for example, a malfunction of the screen 49 itself. The error detection unit 33 accesses the screen output unit 31 and determines that error e2 has occurred based on the output content from the screen output unit 31.

[0035] Error e3 means that the screen 49 is not updated because the robot controller 20 is unable to create data and commands. The error detection unit 33 accesses the first storage unit 41 and determines that error e3 has occurred if no data and commands have been sent from the robot controller 20 and such data and commands do not exist in the first storage unit 41.

[0036] Furthermore, error e4 indicates a failure of the communication units 29 and 39 themselves. The error detection unit 33 accesses the first communication unit 39 and determines, based on the output content from the first communication unit 39, that error e4 has occurred.

[0037] In other words, in step S3a, the error detection unit 33 accesses all units that can distinguish between errors e1 to e3 (e.g., the screen output unit 31, the first storage unit 41, and the first communication unit 39) to detect the presence or absence of each type of error e1 to e3. Note that there may also be other types of error e, and the error detection unit 33 may access units corresponding to the other types of error e to determine the presence or absence of the other types of error e. However, for the sake of brevity, the present specification will mainly discuss errors e1 to e3.

[0038] Next, in step S4a, the determination unit 34 checks the types of errors e1 to en detected by the error detection unit 33. Furthermore, the determination unit 34 determines the content of the output pattern P according to the types of the checked errors e1 to en.

[0039] 3 shows the relationship between errors and output patterns. As shown in FIG. 3, the relationship between the type of error e and the type and content of the output pattern is summarized in the form of a map or table T. Table T shows multiple types of errors e1 to en and multiple types of output patterns P and P'.

[0040] Each type of error e1 to en is associated with a respective one of the output patterns P1 to Pn having a plurality of contents in one type of output pattern P, and a respective one of the output patterns P'1 to P'n having a plurality of contents in the other type of output pattern P'.

[0041] In other words, in table T, one type of error e1 is associated with output patterns P1 and P'1, and another type of error e2 is associated with output patterns P2 and P'2. Further types of errors e3 and e4 are associated with output patterns P3, P'3, P4 and P'4, respectively. Note that, although not shown in the drawing, predetermined operations A and A' are associated with output patterns P and P', respectively.

[0042] Here, one type of output pattern P to be output from the first output unit 45 and another type of output pattern P' to be output from the second output unit 46 are different from each other. For example, the contents of the output patterns P1 to Pn are sounds or voices having different scales or melodies depending on the types of errors e1 to en, and can be output from the first output unit 45, for example, a speaker. The contents of the output patterns P'1 to P'n are vibrations having different periods, amplitudes, or frequencies depending on the types of errors e1 to en, and can be output from the second output unit 46, for example, a vibration generator.

[0043] Alternatively, one of the output patterns P1 to Pn, P'1 to P'n may be a light that flashes at different cycles depending on the type of error e1 to en, or that lights up in different colors depending on the type of error e1 to en. In this case, at least one of the first output unit 45 and the second output unit 46 may be an optical output unit that outputs such light, such as an LED or a lamp.

[0044] If the determination unit 34 determines in step S4a that the type of error is error e1, the process proceeds to step S5a, where output pattern P1 is output from the first output unit 45. If the determination unit 34 determines that the type of error is error e2, the process proceeds to step S6a, where output pattern P2 is output from the first output unit 45. Similarly, if the determination unit 34 determines that the type of error is error e3 or error e4, output pattern P3 or output pattern P4 is output from the first output unit 45 (in step S7a, output pattern Pn is shown for convenience).

[0045] As in step S3a, in step S3b, the error detection unit 33 detects at least one error en as described above. Then, in step S4b, the determination unit 34 checks the types of errors e1 to en detected by the error detection unit 33 and determines the contents of output patterns P'1 to P'n according to the types of errors e1 to en. As described above, the contents of output patterns P'1 to P'n are different from the contents of output patterns P1 to Pn.

[0046] When the determination unit 34 determines that the type of error is error e1, the process proceeds to step S5b, where output pattern P'1 is output from the second output unit 46. When the determination unit 34 determines that the type of error is error e2, the process proceeds to step S6b, where output pattern P'2 is output from the second output unit 46. Similarly, when the determination unit 34 determines that the type of error is error e3 or error e4, output pattern P'3 or output pattern P'4 is output from the second output unit 46 (in step S7b, output pattern P'n is shown for convenience).

[0047] In this way, in the present disclosure, the types of output patterns P and P' are determined according to the types of predetermined operations A and A', and the contents of output patterns P1 to Pn and P'1 to P'n are determined according to the type of error e. In other words, it can be seen that multiple types of output patterns P and P' are associated with multiple types of predetermined operations A and A', respectively.

[0048] For example, when the user is in an environment with a lot of vibration but little noise, the user can perform a predetermined operation A to output output patterns P1 to Pn as sounds or voices. Similarly, when the user is in an environment with a lot of noise, the user can perform a predetermined operation A' to output output patterns P'1 to P'n as vibrations or output patterns P'1 to P'n as flashing lights.

[0049] In other words, in the present disclosure, the user can select output patterns P and P' that are suitable for the surrounding environment by performing predetermined operation A or predetermined operation A'. Note that if multiple types of errors are identified from errors e1 to en, multiple output patterns P or output patterns P' are output according to the multiple types of errors identified.

[0050] With this configuration, in the present disclosure, even if the screen 49 becomes unable to be updated, the user can appropriately know the reason why the screen 49 becomes unable to be updated through a means other than the screen 49. This shortens the time required to investigate the reason why the screen 49 of the teaching pendant 30 becomes unable to be updated. Furthermore, because the user can know the reason why the screen 49 becomes unable to be updated before restarting the teaching pendant 30, adjustments and repairs of the teaching pendant 30 and the like can be made promptly after the restart.

[0051] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a system including a teaching pendant based on the second embodiment. Repetitive description of elements that are the same as those described with reference to Figure 1 will be omitted. The CPU of the teaching pendant 30 of the robot system 1b in the second embodiment is provided with a selection unit 36 ​​that selects the type of output pattern to be output through the external output unit 35. The selection unit 36 ​​is operated by a user via keys 48 or the like. Specifically, when a selection operation is performed by the selection unit 36, the output operation by the first output unit 45 and the output operation by the second output unit 46 are switched.

[0052] In the initial state, an output operation by the first output unit 45 is set, and therefore, when a selection operation is performed by the selection unit 36, the output operation by the first output unit 45 is switched to an output operation by the second output unit 46. When a selection operation is performed by the selection unit 36 ​​while an output operation by the second output unit 46 is selected, the output operation by the second output unit 46 is switched to an output operation by the first output unit 45.

[0053] The selection unit 36 ​​of the CPU of the teaching pendant 30 is a functional module realized by, for example, a computer program executed on the CPU. The computer program for executing the processing of the selection unit 36 ​​of the CPU of the teaching pendant 30 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. In the second embodiment, the predetermined operation key 47b is eliminated.

[0054] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the teaching pendant shown in Fig. 4. As described above, the contents shown in Fig. 5 are automatically performed by the CPU of the teaching pendant 30 when the screen 49 of the teaching pendant 30 cannot be updated. Alternatively, the contents shown in Fig. 5 may be performed in response to a user operation.

[0055] Steps S1 to S7a in Fig. 5 are the same as steps S1 to S7a in Fig. 2A, and therefore will not be described again. Also, step S2b is omitted in Fig. 5. In other words, in the second embodiment, the initial state is set to output the output patterns P1 to Pn first.

[0056] 5, it is determined whether a selection operation has been performed via the selection unit 36. If it is determined that a selection operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the determination unit 34 determines the contents of output patterns P'1 to P'n from table T according to the types of errors e1 to en confirmed in step S4a. Then, the second output unit 46 outputs the determined output pattern P'.

[0057] As described above, the output pattern P and the output pattern P' are different types. For example, if the output pattern P as a sound or voice is output from the first output unit 45 in at least one of steps S5a to S7a, the output pattern P' as a vibration corresponding to the output pattern P is output from the second output unit 46 in step S9.

[0058] For example, there may be a case where the user is unable to recognize the output pattern P as sound or voice output in steps S5a to S7a of Fig. 5 due to a sudden increase in ambient noise. In such a case, the user can operate the selection unit 36 ​​to output the output pattern P' as vibration in step S9. This allows the user to reliably recognize the content of error e.

[0059] As an effect of at least one of the embodiments described above, the reason why the screen of the teaching pendant cannot be updated can be notified to the user by means other than the screen.

[0060] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. Various additions, substitutions, modifications, partial deletions, etc. are possible to these embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention or the concept and spirit of the present invention derived from the content of the claims and their equivalents. 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 formulas are used in the description of the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, appropriate combinations of several of the above-described embodiments are within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0061] The following supplementary notes are further disclosed regarding the above embodiments and variations. (Supplementary Note 1) A teaching pendant comprising: a screen; a predetermined operation detection unit that detects a predetermined operation when updating of the screen is impossible; an error detection unit that detects an error related to the screen that cannot be updated when the predetermined operation is detected; a determination unit that determines the content of an output pattern in accordance with the type of error detected by the error detection unit; and an external output unit that outputs the output pattern determined by the determination unit to the outside. (Supplementary Note 2) A teaching pendant according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the output pattern is constituted by sound, voice, vibration, or flashing light. (Supplementary Note 3) A teaching pendant according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit determines the content of the output pattern based on the relationship between the type of error and the content of the output pattern. (Supplementary Note 4) A teaching pendant according to any of Supplements 1 to 3, wherein the predetermined operation is performed by inputting some of a plurality of keys provided on the teaching pendant in a predetermined order. (Supplementary Note 5) A teaching pendant according to any one of Supplements 1 to 4, further comprising a predetermined operation key for executing the predetermined operation. (Supplementary Note 6) An output method comprising: detecting a predetermined operation when updating of a screen of a teaching pendant is impossible; detecting an error related to the screen that cannot be updated when the predetermined operation is detected; determining the content of an output pattern according to the type of the detected error; and outputting the determined output pattern to the outside. (Supplementary Note 7) The output method according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein the output pattern is composed of sound, voice, vibration, or flashing light. (Supplementary Note 8) A determination method according to Supplementary Note 6 or 7, wherein the content of the output pattern is determined based on the relationship between the type of error and the content of the output pattern. (Supplementary Note 9) An output method according to any one of Supplements 6 to 8, wherein the predetermined operation is performed by inputting some of a plurality of keys provided on the teaching pendant in a predetermined order. (Supplementary Note 10) An output method according to any one of Supplements 6 to 9, wherein the teaching pendant further comprises a predetermined operation key for executing the predetermined operation.

[0062] 1a, 1b Robot system 10 Robot 20 Robot control device 29 Second communication unit 30 Teaching operation panel 31 Screen output unit 32 Predetermined operation detection unit 33 Error detection unit 34 Determination unit 35 External output unit 36 ​​Selection unit 39 First communication unit 41 First storage unit 42 Second storage unit 45 First output unit 46 Second output unit 47a, 47b Predetermined operation key 48 Key 49 Screen

Claims

1. A teaching pendant comprising: a screen; a specified operation detection unit that detects a specified operation when the screen cannot be updated; an error detection unit that detects an error related to the screen that cannot be updated when the specified operation is detected; a determination unit that determines the content of an output pattern depending on the type of error detected by the error detection unit; and an external output unit that outputs the output pattern determined by the determination unit to the outside.

2. A teaching pendant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output pattern is constituted by sound, voice, vibration or flashing light.

3. A teaching pendant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the content of the output pattern based on the relationship between the type of the error and the content of the output pattern.

4. A teaching pendant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined operation is performed by inputting some of a plurality of keys provided on the teaching pendant in a predetermined order.

5. The teaching pendant according to claim 1, further comprising a predetermined operation key for executing the predetermined operation.

6. An output method comprising: detecting a specified operation when the screen of a teaching pendant cannot be updated; detecting an error related to the screen that cannot be updated when the specified operation is detected; determining the content of an output pattern according to the type of the detected error; and outputting the determined output pattern to the outside.

7. The output method according to claim 6, wherein the output pattern is composed of sound, voice, vibration, or blinking light.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of determining the content of the output pattern based on a relationship between the type of the error and the content of the output pattern.

9. The output method according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined operation is performed by inputting some of a plurality of keys provided on the teaching pendant in a predetermined order.

10. The output method according to claim 6, wherein the teaching pendant further comprises a predetermined operation key for executing the predetermined operation.

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