Information processing system

Abstract

According to the present invention, provided is an information processing system connected to an industrial machine on-site, the information processing system including: a data acquisition unit for acquiring, from the industrial machine, operation-related data related to an operation content when the industrial machine executes a predetermined task; an operation environment reproduction unit for virtually reproducing an operation environment when the industrial machine executes the predetermined task on the basis of the acquired operation-related data and task environment reproduction data for reproducing a task environment when the industrial machine executes the predetermined task; an operation verification unit for verifying operation of the industrial machine on the basis of the virtually reproduced operation environment; and a remote application unit for remotely applying operation-related data adjusted on the basis of the verification by the operation verification unit to the industrial machine.

Description

Information Processing Systems

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system.

[0002] Setting up an industrial robot system at a work site and adjusting its operation when an abnormality occurs require specialized knowledge of the robot's operation parameters, and these tasks are generally performed by experts from the robot manufacturer. To reduce the time lost in resolving problems when an abnormality occurs in the robot system, remote adjustment systems have been proposed in recent years for diagnosing control targets such as robots installed in remote locations (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Regarding robot operation parameters, Patent Document 2 describes a method for determining force control parameters for a robot.

[0003] JP2002-287816A JP2002-139190A

[0004] As described above, conventionally, when a robot system is started up or when an abnormality occurs, adjustments are often made by having an expert from the robot manufacturer visit the work site, or by the user of the robot system making a backup of the robot's operation history and sending it to an expert for analysis. Allowing an expert to remotely connect to the user's robot system and check data is one method of reducing time loss when an abnormality occurs in the robot system. However, even when building such a remote system, it is desirable to have a system that allows an expert to more efficiently analyze the operation of the user's robot system and adjust the operating parameters.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing system connected to industrial machinery at a work site, the information processing system including: a data acquisition unit that acquires, from the industrial machinery, operation-related data relating to operation details when the industrial machinery performs a specified task; an operation environment reproduction unit that virtually reproduces the operation environment when the industrial machinery performs the specified task based on the acquired operation-related data and work environment reproduction data for reproducing the work environment when the industrial machinery performs the specified task; an operation verification unit that verifies the operation of the industrial machinery based on the virtually reproduced operation environment; and a remote application unit that remotely applies the operation-related data adjusted based on the verification by the operation verification unit to the industrial machinery.

[0006] These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0007] 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an information processing system according to a first configuration example. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the information processing system according to the first configuration example. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the data structure of data stored in a data management server. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of operation parameters in the first configuration example. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of detailed contents of operation parameters. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an information processing system according to a second configuration example. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of an information processing system according to the second configuration example. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the data structure of data stored in an integrated server. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of operation parameters in the second configuration example. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an information processing system according to a third configuration example. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the flow of operation verification in an information processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining another example of the flow of operation verification in an information processing system according to an embodiment.

[0008] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, like components or functional parts are designated by like reference numerals. The scales of these drawings have been changed appropriately to facilitate understanding. Furthermore, the embodiment shown in the drawings is one example for implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

[0009] An information processing system 100 according to one embodiment will be described below. The information processing system 100 is connected to a robot system installed at a user's work site, allowing a robot manufacturer's expert to remotely adjust the operating parameters of the user's robot system. Because various system configurations are possible for an information processing system that collects data from a robot system, three typical system configuration examples will be described below. For convenience, these three configuration examples will also be referred to as a first configuration example, a second configuration example, and a third configuration example. The first to third configuration examples will be collectively referred to as the information processing system 100, and will be individually referred to as the information processing system 100A, the information processing system 100B, and the information processing system 100C. For convenience, the entire system using industrial machinery may sometimes be referred to simply as industrial machinery in this specification.

[0010] (First Configuration Example) An information processing system 100A according to the first configuration example will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the information processing system 100A. As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system 100A is a system that collects and stores data related to the operation of robots from three robot systems 1, 2, and 3 installed at each user's work site, and enables an expert from the robot manufacturer to remotely refer to the data using a data reference terminal (hereinafter referred to as a terminal device) 90 to diagnose the robot systems 1, 2, and 3 at the work site and adjust their parameters.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 100A includes data collectors 11, 12, and 13 that acquire data from robot systems 1, 2, and 3, respectively; data management servers 21, 22, and 23 that store and manage the data collected by data collectors 11, 12, and 13, respectively; and a terminal device 90. Note that FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating the flow of data collection from the robot systems. In reality, the robot systems 1-3, data collectors 11-13, data management servers 21-23, and terminal device 90 may each be connected to a wide area network and be able to exchange information with each other. Note that, in FIG. 1, the information processing system 100A is configured as a system having three data management servers to collect data from three robot systems, but this is merely an example, and the information processing system 100A may be configured to collect data from fewer than three robot systems or four or more robot systems.

[0012] The robot systems 1, 2, and 3 are installed at the work sites of their respective users. Each of the data collectors 11, 12, and 13 may have a hardware configuration as a general computer having a processor, memory (ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory, etc.), storage device, operation unit, display unit, input / output interface, network interface, etc. In other words, each of the data collectors 11, 12, and 13 may be configured as an information processing device such as a personal computer.

[0013] Each of the data collectors 11-13 has a function of collecting data from the robot system 1 according to a predetermined schedule that is registered in advance or set by a user or an operator on the robot manufacturer side. Although the data collectors 11-13 are shown in Fig. 1 as components of the information processing system 100A, they may be located at the work sites of the respective users of the data collectors 11-13.

[0014] The data collected by the data collectors 11, 12, and 13 are stored in the data management servers 21, 22, and 23, respectively. Each of the data management servers 21, 22, and 23 may have a hardware configuration as a general computer having a processor, memory (ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory, etc.), a storage device, an operation unit, a display unit, an input / output interface, a network interface, etc.

[0015] The terminal device 90 is configured to be connectable to the data management servers 21, 22, and 23, and can access the data stored therein for the robot systems 1, 2, and 3. The terminal device 90 may have a hardware configuration as a general computer having a processor, memory (ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory, etc.), a storage device, an operation unit, a display unit, an input / output interface, a network interface, etc. In other words, the terminal device 90 may be configured as an information processing device such as a personal computer.

[0016] 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining the functions of the information processing system 100A. This diagram shows the functional configurations of the robot system 1, data collector 11, data management server 21, and terminal device 90. The robot systems 2-3, data collectors 12-13, and data management servers 22-23 also have the same functional configurations as the robot system 1, data collector 11, and data management server 21, respectively. Therefore, the functional descriptions of the robot system 1, data collector 11, and data management server 21 described here also apply to the robot systems 2-3, data collectors 12-13, and data management servers 22-23.

[0017] The robot system 1 includes a robot 110 and a robot control device 120 that controls the robot 110. The robot 110 is, for example, a vertical articulated robot. Various types of robots can be used as the robot 110, such as a horizontal articulated robot, a parallel link robot, or a dual-arm robot, depending on the work to be performed. The robot 110 can be equipped with tools 111 such as a screw driver, a hand, or a polishing tool, depending on the work to be performed. The robot 110 can also be equipped with sensors 112 such as a force sensor or a visual sensor, depending on the work to be performed.

[0018] A teaching operation panel 130 for teaching the robot 110 how to operate and for making various settings related to the teaching may be connected to the robot control device 120. In addition, a display device 140 for checking execution history data of a predetermined task performed by the robot 110 may be connected to the robot control device 120.

[0019] The robot controller 120 includes an operation control unit 121 and a memory unit 122. The memory unit 122 may be configured with a storage device such as a non-volatile memory or a hard disk drive. The memory unit 122 stores a task program for causing the robot 110 to perform a predetermined task, various setting values ​​such as force control parameters, and the like. The operation control unit 121 controls the operation of the robot 110 in accordance with the task program or commands from the teaching pendant 130. The robot controller 120 includes a servo control unit (not shown) that performs servo control on the servo motors of each axis in accordance with commands for each axis generated by the operation control unit 121. The robot controller 120 may also include an abnormality notification unit 123 that notifies the information processing system 100A of the abnormality along with data related to the operation of the robot 110 when an abnormality such as an error or alarm occurs while the robot 110 is performing a task.

[0020] The robot system 1 having the above configuration can perform various tasks according to a task program. For example, tasks performed by the robot system 1 include screw tightening, precision joining, deburring, friction stir welding, and the like, which are tasks involving force control. These force control-related parameters (hereinafter also referred to as force control parameters) may include pressing force, speed (such as joining speed), and force control gain (such as pressing direction, around the X-axis, around the Y-axis, etc.). Tasks performed by the robot system 1 also include detecting an object using a visual sensor and handling the object (such as removing bulk workpieces). In this case, the operational parameters may include parameters related to detection processing by the detection program (such as settings for imaging conditions of the imaging device, score thresholds, and contrast thresholds).

[0021] The information processing system 100A collects motion-related data relating to the motion of the robot 110 from the robot system 1 and enables an expert on the terminal device 90 to analyze the collected data and adjust the motion-related data. The motion-related data relating to the motion of the robot 110 may include the force control parameters described above related to force control, parameters related to detection processing, robot machine control information (e.g., position and posture), servo control data (e.g., torque control status), and execution history data of the work program (including measured values ​​of force control parameters). In this specification, the force control parameters and parameters related to detection processing may be collectively referred to as motion parameters. While the following description focuses on a case where motion parameters are primarily used as the motion-related data, the configuration of the embodiment described below may also be applied to cases where other motion-related data is used.

[0022] The data collector 11 includes a data acquisition unit 11a. The data acquisition unit 11a acquires operation parameters from the robot system 1 (robot control device 120) according to a preset schedule or an external command such as a user input, and stores the acquired operation parameters in the data management server 21. The robot control device 120 generates transmission data in a format in which a header section including identification information for identifying the robot system 1, a data size, etc. is added to a data section including the operation parameters, and transmits the transmission data in response to a request from the data collector 11. The data collector 11 (data acquisition unit 11a) may also have a function of checking the validity of the transmission data based on the information in the header section of the transmission data when receiving the transmission data.

[0023] The data management server 21 has a function of storing the operation parameters collected by the data collector 11 in association with the robot system 1. The data management server 21 includes a control unit 21a, which controls data storage and provides services in response to external reference requests, and a storage unit 21b. The storage unit 21b may be configured with a storage device such as a nonvolatile memory or a hard disk drive. The storage unit 21b of the data management server 21 stores data for reproducing the work environment of the user's robot system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as work environment reproduction data) in association with identification information of the user's robot system 1. Therefore, the control unit 21a identifies the robot system 1 that is the sender of the transmission data received from the data collector 11, and stores the received operation parameters in association with the work environment reproduction data of the robot system 1 in a data format as shown in FIG. 3.

[0024] The work environment reproduction data is data for reproducing the work environment when a work program is executed in the robot system 1, and is, for example, data for reproducing peripheral devices and workpieces that are the target of force control. Specifically, the work environment reproduction data may include 3D model data (3D CAD data) of the workpiece to be machined, such as its location, material, weight, etc., as data for reproducing the workpiece to be machined. The work environment reproduction data may include 3D model data (3D CAD data) of the peripheral device, such as its location, serial number, model name, etc., as data for reproducing the peripheral device. Peripheral devices may include conveyors, automated guided vehicles, work tables, etc.

[0025] The terminal device 90 provides a function that allows an expert to refer to the above-mentioned data stored in the data management server 21 and to refer to the operation parameters of the robot system 1 and perform operation verification. As shown in FIG. 2 , the terminal device 90 includes an operation environment reproduction unit 191, an operation verification unit 192, and a remote application unit 193. The terminal device 90 may further include a notification unit 194 for notifying the robot system of information. Note that these functions may be realized by the processor 91 of the terminal device 90 executing software.

[0026] 2 also illustrates a storage unit 92, a display unit 93, and an operation unit 94 as hardware components. The storage unit 92 is a storage device such as a non-volatile memory or a hard disk drive. Operational parameters and work environment reproduction data are downloaded from the data management server 21 and stored in the storage unit 92 in order to reproduce the operating environment of the robot system 1 and perform operation verification on the terminal device 90. The storage unit 92 may also store test programs and simulation programs for operation verification. The display unit 93 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display. The operation unit 94 includes a pointing device such as a keyboard or a mouse.

[0027] The operating environment reproducing unit 191 provides a function for virtually reproducing the operating environment when a predetermined work program is executed by the robot system 1, based on the operating parameters and the work environment reproducing data. The function for virtually reproducing the operating environment of the robot system 1 may include one or more of the following (Function 1) to (Function 3): (Function 1) Displaying the operating parameters (together with the work environment reproducing data, if necessary) as numerical information or graph information in a display format that allows the operating state to be grasped and verified; (Function 2) Setting the operating parameters and the work environment reproducing data in a test program for verifying the operation, thereby enabling operation verification; (Function 3) Setting the operating parameters and the work environment reproducing data in a simulation program that can simulate the operation of a 3D model of the robot system in a virtual space (on the screen of a display device), thereby enabling simulated operation.

[0028] The following describes (function 1) of the operation environment reproducing unit 191. As shown in Fig. 4, the operation environment reproducing unit 191 can display the operation parameters acquired from each of the robot systems 1-3 on the display screen of the display unit 93, for example, in the form of separate windows. The display contents of each window may be updated successively based on operation parameters newly acquired from the robot systems.

[0029] FIG. 5 shows an example of detailed display content for the operation parameters of one robot system. Here, the robot system 1 performs a screw tightening operation using force control, and the robot system 1 transmits information (execution history data) including force control parameters (actually measured values) as operation parameters. In this example, the information transmitted from the robot system 1 includes the tightening operation status, execution time, and force control parameters such as tightening torque, rotation angle, peak load, position and posture of the tool 111 (screw tightening machine), and tightening depth. The example in FIG. 5 includes the execution results of five screw tightening operations. "Tightening torque" represents the actual measured tightening torque value of the screw tightening machine. "Rotation angle" represents the total rotation angle of the screw tightening machine from the start to completion of screw tightening. "Peak load" represents the peak value of the load applied to the screw tightening machine during screw tightening. "Position and posture" represents the position and posture of the screw tightening machine during screw tightening (X, Y, Z coordinates and the rotation angle around these coordinate axes). "Tightening depth" represents the tightening depth of the screw.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5, the force control parameter values, i.e., information indicating the screw tightening operation state as numerical values, are displayed in an orderly manner on the display screen, and this information can also be regarded as information that reproduces the screw tightening operation state. Therefore, the expert can check this information to find operational problems and adjust the parameters.

[0031] The operation verification unit 192 provides a function for verifying the operation of the robot system 1 using the operating environment virtually reproduced by the operating environment reproduction unit 191 through (Function 2) or (Function 3) described above. The functions of the operation verification unit 192 may include a function for verifying the operation using a test program or a function for verifying the operation by executing a simulation program using the operating environment reproduced by the operating environment reproduction unit 191. The remote application unit 193 provides a function for applying adjusted operating parameters derived by an expert or by automatic analysis to a user-side robot system through (Function 1) to (Function 3) by the operating environment reproduction unit 191 and the functions of the operation verification unit 192. The functions of the operation verification unit 192 and the remote application unit 193 will be described in detail below.

[0032] (Second Configuration Example) Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an information processing system 100B according to a second configuration example. As shown in Fig. 6, the information processing system 100B corresponds to a configuration in which an integrated server 30 is added to the configuration of the information processing system 100A shown in Fig. 1. In the second configuration example, the functions performed by the data collectors 11-13 and the data management servers 21-13 are the same as those in the first configuration example, and therefore a description of those functions will be omitted.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating the functions of the information processing system 100B. The data management server 21 includes a control unit 21a and a storage unit 21b having the functions described above in relation to the first configuration example. The data management server 22 includes a control unit 22a having the same functions as the control unit 21a and a storage unit 22b having the same functions as the storage unit 21b. The integrated server 30 provides a function for integrating, storing, and managing data such as operational parameters of each robot system stored in the data management servers 21-23. The integrated server 30 includes a control unit 30a and a storage unit 30b that manage data storage and the like. FIG. 8 shows the structure of data stored in the storage unit 30b. As shown in FIG. 8, the integrated server 30 (control unit 30a) stores the work environment reproduction data of each robot system in association with operational parameters.

[0034] In this configuration example, the terminal device 90 can access the integrated server 30 to refer to the work environment data and operation parameters of each robot system, or download them into the storage unit 92 for use. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of how information about each robot system is displayed by the operation environment reproducing unit 191 (function 1). As shown on the left side of FIG. 9 , the operation environment reproducing unit 191 displays a list of robot systems for which information can be displayed on the display screen of the display unit 93. When the expert selects a desired robot system with the cursor 93 a on the display screen displaying the list of robot systems, a details screen displaying the operation parameters of the selected robot system is presented. The details screen presents information such as that shown in FIG. 5.

[0035] In the second configuration example, information on robot systems of multiple users can be managed in a unified manner in the integrated server 30. Also, in the second configuration example, the terminal device 90 can access the integrated server 30 to collectively acquire information on multiple robot systems.

[0036] 10 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an information processing system 100C according to a third configuration example. In the third configuration example, each of the data collectors 11-13 stores information acquired from the robot systems 1-3 in the cloud 201. The format of the data stored in the cloud 201 may be, for example, a format in which work environment reproduction data and operation parameters are associated with identification information of each robot system, as shown in FIG.

[0037] Therefore, in this configuration example as well, the terminal device 90 can refer to or download and use the information of each robot system stored in the cloud 201. The terminal device 90 can display the information of each robot system in the manner illustrated in FIG.

[0038] In this configuration example, information about the robot system is stored in the cloud 201, so the terminal device 90 can access the stored data with a high degree of freedom in terms of various aspects, including time, location, etc.

[0039] The information processing system 100 having the above-described configuration can also be said to be a system that acquires operation-related data from multiple robot systems collectively and enables verification of the operation of those robot systems to be performed centrally on the terminal device 90.

[0040] Below, we will explain the functions related to diagnosis, operation verification, and application of adjusted parameters to the robot system provided by the terminal device 90 in the configuration of the information processing system 100 such as the first to third configuration examples described above.

[0041] 11 is a diagram illustrating the flow of operation verification in the information processing system 100. As shown in FIG. 11 , the terminal device 90 acquires operation parameters 301 from each robot system. Here, modes in which the terminal device 90 acquires the operation parameters of the robot systems include, as described above, a case in which the terminal device 90 references operation parameters collected by the data collector 11 on a predetermined schedule, and a case in which, when an abnormality occurs in the robot system 1, the abnormality notification unit 123 in the robot system 1 notifies the terminal device 90 of the operation parameters 301 substantially in real time.

[0042] The abnormality notification unit 123 has a function of actively providing, when an abnormality occurs in the operation of the robot 110, information indicating the abnormality along with the operation parameters at that time to the information processing system 100. Therefore, with this function, when an abnormality occurs in the robot system 1, the occurrence of the abnormality can be displayed substantially in real time on the terminal device 90, and the operation parameters at that time can also be confirmed.

[0043] Assume that the operation-related data acquired from the robot system 1 and displayed on the terminal device 90 includes force control parameters during screw tightening, as shown in FIG. 5 . The operation-related data provided by the robot system 1 may include target values ​​for the force control parameters in addition to measured values ​​of the force control parameters as an execution history, as shown in FIG. 5 . Alternatively, the operation-related data provided by the robot system 1 may include time-series data for the force control parameters (e.g., time-series data for measured tightening torque values). In this case, the expert can use a diagnostic tool that graphs data to graph and confirm the temporal variation in tightening torque during work. The expert can visually check the numerical information and the operation states reproduced as graphed information to derive solutions, such as parameter adjustment values ​​(solution 302 in FIG. 11 ).

[0044] When an abnormality occurs, the information on the operation parameters and the like provided to the terminal device 90 by the abnormality notification unit 123 includes information for notifying the user that an abnormality has occurred. As shown in the example of FIG. 5 , when an abnormality occurs, the information from the abnormality notification unit 123 includes information indicating that the screw tightening operation in the fifth execution failed (NG). In this case, the operation environment reproduction unit 191 of the terminal device 90 may display the fifth information in red, for example, to make it clear that it is failed data (see FIG. 5 ). By displaying the operation parameters in this manner, the expert can identify a problem with the screw tightening depth setting (target value) in the failed operation (the fifth execution in FIG. 5 ), adjust the screw tightening depth setting, and then perform testing or simulation to confirm the result.

[0045] By displaying a plurality of force control parameters in an orderly manner on the display screen as shown in FIG. 5, the expert can easily grasp the operating state of the robot system 1, and can efficiently investigate problems, etc.

[0046] The expert can also send countermeasure information 313 indicating the solution obtained as described above to the robot system 1 via the notification unit 194. In this case, the countermeasure information 313 may be, for example, text information indicating the content of the countermeasure. When the robot control device 120 receives the countermeasure information 313, the robot control device 120 may display the content on the display screen of the teaching pendant 130 or the display screen of the display device 140.

[0047] The expert may use various test tools 303 mounted on the terminal device 90 to verify the adjusted operational parameters. For example, assume that the robot 110 performs a polishing operation in which a tool (polishing tool) is pressed against an object with a constant target pressing force. In this case, operational parameters provided by the robot system 1 may include the target pressing force, a force control gain (pressing direction), and an actual measured value of the pressing force. The work environment reproduction data may also include the material and weight of the object, characteristic parameters used in kinematic calculations for the robot's mechanical impedance control, and the like. The test tool in this case may be a tool that performs a numerical simulation to calculate the reaction force the robot receives from the object, the amount of deformation of the object, and the like, based on the robot's motion model (equation of motion), the work environment reproduction data, and the adjusted motion parameters. The expert can use such a test tool to verify whether the adjusted parameters are appropriate.

[0048] The remote application unit 193 provides a function of transmitting the adjusted parameters 311 to the robot system 1 and applying them to the robot system 1 (robot control device 120). In this case, the remote application unit 193 transmits the adjusted parameters 311 to the robot control device 120 and commands it to apply the adjusted parameters 311. In this case, a worker at the work site causes the robot 110 to perform a task using the adjusted parameters and checks the actual operation.

[0049] Alternatively, the remote application unit 193 can send command information 312 including the adjusted parameters and an operation command to the robot 110 to the robot system 1 (robot control device 120). Upon receiving the command information 312, the robot control device 120 can immediately cause the robot 110 to perform a task using the adjusted parameters.

[0050] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of the flow of operation verification in the information processing system 100. Here, it is assumed that the work performed by the robot 110 is a force-controlled work. The operation parameters provided by the robot system 1 may include force control parameters (target values ​​or actual measured values), such as force (e.g., pressing force) 304a, position (e.g., position and orientation of the robot or tool) 304b, distance (e.g., distance to move the tool) 304c, and velocity (e.g., force control velocity) 304d. This information may be presented on the display screen of the display unit 93, and the operation state may be virtually reproduced. Furthermore, the work environment reproduction data in this case may include 3D models of the robot 110 and hand, 3D models, shapes, positions, etc. of peripheral devices, and 3D models, positions, materials, weight, etc. of the workpiece.

[0051] The operation verification unit 192 may have a function to execute a simulation (reference numeral 305 in FIG. 12 ) based on this information, in which a model of the robot system including a robot model, a workpiece model, etc. is simulated to operate in a virtual space based on kinematic calculations. Based on the results of such a simulation, the expert can adjust parameters related to force control, such as force 304 a, position 304 b, distance 304 c, and velocity 304 d, and verify the operation using the adjusted parameters.

[0052] The adjustment of the force control parameters may be performed by automatic analysis, which may be realized, for example, by repeatedly running a simulation while increasing or decreasing the parameters such as the pressing force and the force control gain by a fixed amount until an appropriate operation result is obtained.

[0053] The remote application unit 193 can transmit the adjusted parameters 311 to the robot system 1 side to apply them to the robot system 1 (robot control device 120). Alternatively, the remote application unit 193 can send command information 312 including the adjusted parameters and an operation command for the robot 110 to the robot system 1 (robot control device 120). Note that, as described above with reference to Fig. 11 , the expert can also transmit countermeasure information 313 indicating a countermeasure for the operation in which an abnormality has occurred to the robot system 1 (robot control device 120) via the notification function of the notification unit 194.

[0054] In this way, the information processing system 100 virtually reproduces the operating environment of the robot system 1 by using both the operation-related data (operation parameters) of the robot 110 provided by the robot system 1 and the work environment reproduction data for reproducing the work environment of the robot system 1. This allows an expert to efficiently verify the operation of the robot system, adjust parameters, and apply parameters.

[0055] Here, the flexibility of the system configuration of the information processing system 100 will be described. The functional layout of the information processing system shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and various modifications of the functional layout are possible. For example, a configuration example is possible in which some of the functional blocks arranged in the terminal device 90 are arranged in the data management server. A configuration example is also possible in which the data collector function is incorporated into the data management server.

[0056] It will be understood from the above description that not all of the functional blocks in the functional block diagrams exemplified in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7 are essential.

[0057] In the above-described embodiment, the work environment reproduction data is registered in advance in the data management server or the integrated server in a format associated with the identification information of the robot system. Alternatively, the robot system may transmit the work environment reproduction data together with the operation-related data to the information processing system.

[0058] The configuration of the above-described embodiment can be applied as an information processing system for acquiring operation-related data from the mechanical systems of various types of industrial machinery and performing diagnosis, etc.

[0059] The functional blocks of the data collector, data management server, integration server, and data reference terminal shown in Figures 2 and 7 may be realized by the processors of these devices executing various software stored in memory devices, or may be realized by a hardware-based configuration such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0060] The programs for executing various processing procedures such as virtual reproduction of the operating environment, operation verification, remote application, etc. in the above-mentioned embodiments can be recorded on various computer-readable recording media (e.g., semiconductor memories such as ROM, EEPROM, and flash memory, magnetic recording media, and optical disks such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM).

[0061] Although the present disclosure has 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 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.

[0062] The following supplementary notes are further provided regarding the above-described embodiment and modified examples. (Supplementary Note 1) An information processing system (100) connected to an industrial machine (110) at a work site, comprising: a data acquisition unit (11a) that acquires, from the industrial machine, operation-related data relating to operation details when the industrial machine performs a predetermined task; an operation environment reproduction unit (191) that virtually reproduces an operation environment when the industrial machine performs the predetermined task based on the acquired operation-related data and work environment reproduction data for reproducing the work environment when the industrial machine performs the predetermined task; an operation verification unit (192) that verifies the operation of the industrial machine (110) based on the virtually reproduced operation environment; and a remote application unit (193) that remotely applies, to the industrial machine (110), operation-related data adjusted based on the verification by the operation verification unit (192). (Supplementary Note 2) The information processing system (100) according to Supplementary Note 1, further comprising a storage unit (21b, 22b, 30b) that stores work environment reproduction data in association with identification information of industrial machines, wherein the data acquisition unit (11a) stores operation-related data acquired from industrial machines in the storage unit (21b, 22b, 30b) in association with the operation environment reproduction data corresponding to the industrial machines. (Supplementary Note 3) The information processing system (100) according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the data acquisition unit (11a) acquires the operation-related data and the work environment reproduction data from the industrial machines. (Supplementary Note 4) The information processing system (100) according to any one of Supplements 1 to 3, wherein the remote application unit (193) applies the adjusted operation-related data to the industrial machines and commands them to perform the predetermined task. (Supplementary Note 5) The information processing system (100) according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, wherein the data acquisition unit (11a) stores the operation-related data acquired from the industrial machine in a cloud (201), and the operation environment reproduction unit (191) acquires the operation-related data from the cloud (201). (Supplementary Note 6) The information processing system (100) according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, wherein the operation verification unit (192) has a function of testing the operation of the industrial machine based on a virtually reproduced operating environment of the industrial machine.(Supplementary Note 7) The information processing system (100) according to any one of Supplements 1 to 5, wherein the operation verification unit (192) has a function of simulating the operation of the industrial machine based on a virtually reproduced operating environment of the industrial machine. (Supplementary Note 8) The information processing system (100) according to any one of Supplements 1 to 7, further comprising a notification unit (194) for notifying the industrial machine of information indicating a countermeasure to be taken in the event of an abnormality in the industrial machine, obtained based on the verification by the operation verification unit (192). (Supplementary Note 9) The information processing system (100) according to any one of Supplements 1 to 8, wherein, when an abnormality occurs in the industrial machine, the data acquisition unit (11a) acquires information to which information indicating the occurrence of the abnormality has been added to the operation-related data from an abnormality notification unit in a machine system including the industrial machine, and the operating environment reproduction unit (191) displays the operation-related data on a display screen so that it can be visually recognized that the operation-related data is data in the event of an abnormality. (Supplementary Note 10) The information processing system (100) according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 9, wherein the predetermined task is a task performed by force control, and the operation-related data includes parameters related to force control. (Supplementary Note 11) The information processing system (100) according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 10, wherein the work environment reproduction data includes at least one of a model name, a 3D model, and a placement position of a peripheral device in a mechanical system including the industrial machine, and a 3D model, a placement position, a material, and a weight of a workpiece.

[0063] 1, 2, 3 Robot system 11, 12, 13 Data collector 11a Data acquisition unit 21, 22, 23 Data management server 21a, 22a Control unit 21b, 22b Memory unit 30 Integrated server 30a Control unit 30b Memory unit 90 Data reference terminal 91 Processor 92 Memory unit 93 Display unit 94 Operation unit 100, 100A, 100B, 100C Information processing system 110 Robot 111 Tool 112 Sensor 121 Operation control unit 122 Memory unit 123 Abnormality notification unit 191 Operation environment reproduction unit 192 Operation verification unit 193 Remote application unit 194 Notification unit 201 Cloud

Claims

1. An information processing system connected to industrial machinery at a work site, comprising: a data acquisition unit that acquires from the industrial machinery operation-related data relating to the operation details when the industrial machinery performs a specified task; an operation environment reproduction unit that virtually reproduces the operation environment when the industrial machinery performs the specified task based on the acquired operation-related data and work environment reproduction data for reproducing the work environment when the industrial machinery performs the specified task; an operation verification unit that verifies the operation of the industrial machinery based on the virtually reproduced operation environment; and a remote application unit that remotely applies to the industrial machinery the operation-related data adjusted based on the verification by the operation verification unit.

2. An information processing system as described in claim 1, further comprising a memory unit that stores data for reproducing a work environment in association with identification information of the industrial machine, and the data acquisition unit stores operation-related data acquired from the industrial machine in the memory unit in association with the data for reproducing a work environment corresponding to the industrial machine.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition unit acquires the work environment reproduction data together with the operation-related data from the industrial machine.

4. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the remote application unit instructs the industrial machine to apply the adjusted operation-related data and to perform the predetermined task.

5. An information processing system described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the data acquisition unit stores the operation-related data acquired from the industrial machine in a cloud, and the operating environment reproduction unit acquires the operation-related data from the cloud.

6. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the operation verification unit has a function of testing the operation of the industrial machine based on a virtually reproduced operating environment of the industrial machine.

7. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the operation verification unit has a function of simulating the operation of the industrial machine based on a virtually reproduced operating environment of the industrial machine.

8. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a notification unit for notifying the industrial machine of information indicating countermeasures to be taken in the event of an abnormality in the industrial machine, obtained based on verification by the operation verification unit.

9. An information processing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein when an abnormality occurs in the industrial machinery, the data acquisition unit acquires information from an abnormality notification unit within a mechanical system including the industrial machinery, with information indicating the occurrence of an abnormality added to the operation-related data, and the operation environment reproduction unit displays the operation-related data on a display screen so that it can be visually recognized that the operation-related data is data from an abnormality.

10. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the predetermined task is a task performed by force control, and the motion-related data includes parameters related to force control.

11. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the data for reproducing the work environment includes at least one of the model name, 3D model, and placement position of peripheral devices within a machine system including the industrial machine, and the 3D model, placement position, material, and weight of the object to be processed.

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