Teaching operation panel

Abstract

Provided is a teaching operation panel capable of warming a hand of an operator without adversely affecting operability or increasing energy consumption.　A teaching operation panel 1 that provides a user interface for teaching an operation of a robot or operating the robot includes an input part 30, a display part 20, a control part 70, a holding part 50, and heating parts 100 for heating the holding part 50. The heating parts 100 include heat conduction sections 101 connected to the control part 70. The heating parts 100 may also be capable of switching between a heating state in which the holding part 50 is heated and a heating stop state in which heating by the heating parts 100 is not performed.

Description

Teaching operation panel

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a teaching operation panel.

[0002] Conventionally, a teaching operation panel is used for communicating with a robot control device that controls the operation of an industrial robot (hereinafter also simply referred to as a robot), and providing a user interface for teaching the operation of the robot or operating the robot.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-34574, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-81273

[0004] When using a teaching operation panel, in winter or the like, when an operator holds the teaching operation panel, the operator may feel it cold. An industrial robot may be installed in a place where the room temperature cannot be raised, such as a freezer, or a place where a shutter separating the inside and outside is frequently opened and the room temperature is difficult to rise. In these low-temperature environments, there was a risk that the operator's finger sensation would become dull and accurate operations could not be performed. Also, when an operator wears cold-proof gloves, accurate operations may not be possible, or operations on a teaching operation panel equipped with a capacitive touch panel may not be possible.

[0005] As technologies for warming a member to be operated, there are known a technology of attaching a cold-proof cover equipped with a heater to a teaching operation panel (see Patent Document 1), a technology of incorporating a heating member in a ring portion of a steering wheel of an automobile or the like (see Patent Document 2), and the like.

[0006] However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, since a transparent viewing window made of cloth and acrylic or the like constituting the cold-proof cover covers the capacitive touch panel on the teaching operation panel, there is a risk that touch operations may become difficult.

[0007] Further, when using an electric heating wire for heating as in the technology of Patent Document 2, since a large amount of power is required for heating, improvement has been demanded in terms of increased power consumption.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a teaching operation panel that can warm an operator's hand without adversely affecting operability and without increasing energy consumption.

[0009] This disclosure relates to a teaching operation panel comprising an input unit, a display unit, a control unit, and a gripping unit, wherein the teaching operation panel comprises a heating unit for heating the gripping unit, and the heating unit includes a heat conduction unit connected to the control unit.

[0010] This is a front view showing the external appearance of the teaching control panel 1 of the first embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the teaching control panel 1 of the first embodiment. This is a diagram showing an overview of the heating section 100 in a front view similar to Figure 1. This is a diagram showing the vicinity of the control unit 70 in Figure 3 in more detail. This is a cross-sectional view showing one example of the configuration of the fixed block 102, cut near the control unit 70 at the position of arrow B-B in Figure 4. This is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the fixed block 102, cut near the control unit 70 at the position of arrow B-B in Figure 4. This is a cross-sectional view of the teaching control panel 1 cut at the position of arrow A-A in Figure 3. This is a diagram showing an overview of the heating section 200 of the teaching control panel 1B of the second embodiment. This is a diagram showing a more detailed view of the vicinity of the control unit 70 in Figure 8. This is a cross-sectional view showing one example of the configuration of the fixed block 210, cut near the control unit 70 at the position of arrow C-C in Figure 9. This is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the fixed block 210, cut near the control unit 70 at the position of arrow C-C in Figure 9. This is a cross-sectional view of the teaching control panel 1B cut at the position of arrow D-D in Figure 8.

[0011] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the second and subsequent embodiments, components common to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0012] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a front view showing the external appearance of the teaching control panel 1 of the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the teaching control panel 1 of the first embodiment. Note that the following figures, including Figures 1 and 2, are schematic diagrams, and the size and shape of each part are exaggerated or omitted as appropriate to facilitate understanding.

[0013] The teaching control panel 1 is a device for teaching a robot (not shown), and is a device that provides a user interface for teaching the movements of a robot (not shown) or for operating the robot. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the teaching control panel 1 comprises a housing 10, a display unit 20, an input unit 30, a connection unit 40, a gripping unit 50, a circuit board 60, a control unit 70, a volatile memory unit 81, and a non-volatile memory unit 82.

[0014] The housing 10 is an exterior component that covers most of the outside of the teaching operation panel 1. The housing 10 may be made of metal or resin, for example.

[0015] The display unit 20 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and it displays various information based on display instructions from the control unit 70.

[0016] The input unit 30 has multiple buttons arranged so that the operator can perform input operations as needed. In this embodiment, a configuration comprising a display unit 20 and an input unit 30 is illustrated, but for example, a configuration comprising a touch panel that combines the functions of a display unit and an input unit may also be used, and the specific configuration of the display unit and input unit can be changed as appropriate.

[0017] The connection unit 40 is, for example, a cable connected to a robot (not shown) that is provided separately from the teaching control panel 1, and it is used to exchange various types of information (control information, etc.) between the teaching control panel 1 and the robot. The connection unit 40 may be used not only for the exchange of information but also for power supply. In addition, although the teaching control panel 1 in this embodiment is shown as employing a wired connection method with the connection unit 40, the connection to the robot may be a wireless connection method, for example.

[0018] The gripping portion 50 is the part that the operator grips with their hand when operating the teaching control panel 1, etc. In this embodiment, the gripping portion 50 is located at the left and right side ends of the housing 10. Further details about the gripping portion 50 will be described later.

[0019] The circuit board 60 is a circuit board located inside the housing 10, and has a control unit 70, a volatile memory unit 81, and a non-volatile memory unit 82 mounted on it. In addition to the above, various other electronic components are mounted on the circuit board 60, but the details are omitted.

[0020] The control unit 70 controls the teaching operation panel 1 as a whole. The control unit 70 can be configured, for example, as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 70 reads the system program and application program stored in the non-volatile memory unit 82 and controls the entire teaching operation panel 1 according to the system program and application program. In this embodiment, a configuration in which the control unit 70 is assumed to be a CPU is given as an example. However, the control unit is not limited to a CPU and can also include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), various memory devices, etc., and heat can be utilized from these various control-related parts, as described later.

[0021] The volatile memory unit 81 is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory), DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), etc. Various files stored in the non-volatile memory unit 82 are loaded as needed and used for calculation processing by the control unit 70.

[0022] The non-volatile storage unit 82 is, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), or flash memory (such as a memory card or USB memory). The non-volatile storage unit 82 stores system programs, application programs, and the like.

[0023] The teaching control panel 1 of this embodiment includes a heating unit 100 for heating the gripping unit 50. The configuration of the heating unit 100 and the gripping unit 50 will be described below. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an overview of the heating unit 100 in a front view similar to that of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the vicinity of the control unit 70 in Figure 3 in more detail. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing one example of the configuration of the fixed block 102, cut near the control unit 70 at the position of arrow B-B in Figure 4. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the fixed block 102, cut near the control unit 70 at the position of arrow B-B in Figure 4.

[0024] The heating unit 100 of the first embodiment includes a heat conduction unit 101, a fixing block 102, a bolt 103, and a nut 104.

[0025] The heat conduction section 101 is connected to the control unit 70 in a way that allows heat transfer at its center, and transmits heat from the control unit 70 to the gripping section 50. Both ends of the heat conduction section 101 are located inside the gripping section 50. In this embodiment, a heat pipe that can efficiently conduct heat is used as the heat conduction section, but a material with high thermal conductivity such as copper or aluminum may also be used. Except for the part shown in Figure 5, the cross-sectional shape of the heat conduction section 101 is circular.

[0026] The fixing block 102 is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped structure made of a material with high thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum, and holds the heat conduction part 101 in close contact with the control unit 70. The fixing block 102 is fixed to the substrate 60 using bolts 103 that pass through its four corners and nuts 104. A heat sink may also be used in the fixing block 102 to promote cooling of the control unit 70.

[0027] In the example of the fixed block 102 shown in Figure 5, the heat conduction part 101 is positioned such that the fixed block 102 presses against the control unit 70. Therefore, the heat conduction part 101 and the control unit 70 are thermally connected. Also, in the example shown in Figure 5, the surface of the heat conduction part 101 that contacts the control unit 70 is flattened. This increases the contact surface between the heat conduction part 101 and the control unit 70, allowing the heat generated by the control unit 70 to be efficiently transferred to the heat conduction part 101. Note that in the configuration shown in Figure 5, heat transfer between the fixed block 102 and the heat conduction part 101 is not essential, so the fixed block 102 and the heat conduction part 101 do not necessarily have to be thermally connected.

[0028] Furthermore, the configuration of the fixed block is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 5, but may also be the configuration shown in Figure 6, for example. The fixed block 102 shown in Figure 6 is composed of a first fixed block 102A and a second fixed block 102B. A heat conduction section 101 is sandwiched between the first fixed block 102A and the second fixed block 102B. In this configuration of Figure 6, the heat generated by the control unit 70 is transferred to the heat conduction section 101 via the first fixed block 102A and the second fixed block 102B. In this configuration of Figure 6, heat transfer is necessary between the first fixed block 102A and the second fixed block 102B and the heat conduction section 101, and the first fixed block 102A and the second fixed block 102B and the heat conduction section 101 are thermally connected. Also, the second fixed block 102B and the control unit 70 are thermally connected.

[0029] With the configuration described above, the heat generated when the control unit 70 performs various processes is transferred to the heat conduction unit 101. The end of the heat conduction unit 101 is located inside the gripping unit 50, and the heat obtained from the control unit 70 is transferred to the gripping unit 50 side by the heat conduction unit 101.

[0030] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the teaching control panel 1 taken at the position indicated by arrow A-A in Figure 3. The gripping portion 50 is equipped with a heat receiving portion 51, a heat insulating portion 52, and a heat conducting portion 101.

[0031] The heat receiving portion 51 is located inside the gripping portion 50 and is shaped to conform to the inner wall of the housing 10, and is in close contact with the inner wall of the housing 10. As a result, the heat receiving portion 51 and the housing 10 are thermally connected. Furthermore, the heat receiving portion 51 is thermally connected to the heat conducting portion 101. In the example shown in Figure 7, the heat conducting portion 101 is shown passing through the inside of the heat receiving portion 51, but the configuration is not limited to this, and for example, the heat conducting portion 101 may be in close contact with the outside of the heat receiving portion 51.

[0032] The heat insulating section 52 is an insulating material arranged to fill the space on the opposite side of the heat receiving section 51 from the housing 10, and is made of a material with low thermal conductivity. The insulating material used for the heat insulating section 52 may be, for example, a foamed resin material or a fibrous material, and any known insulating material can be used. The heat insulating section 52 suppresses the transfer of heat received by the heat receiving section 51 to other parts of the teaching control panel 1. Therefore, the heat received by the heat receiving section 51 from the heat conducting section 101 can efficiently heat the gripping section 50. Furthermore, by optimizing the arrangement of the heat insulating section 52, it is possible to prevent the gripping section 50 from becoming excessively hot to the point where the operator cannot grip the teaching control panel 1.

[0033] As described above, the teaching control panel 1 of this embodiment includes a heating unit 100 that transmits heat generated by the processing operation of the control unit 70 to the gripping unit 50 via a heat conduction unit 101, thereby heating the gripping unit 50. Therefore, the teaching control panel 1 can heat the gripping unit 50 without adversely affecting operability or increasing energy consumption, thereby warming the operator's hands. Furthermore, the heat conduction unit 101 can be detached from the control unit 70 by removing or loosening the bolt 103 and nut 104, and the thermal connection between the control unit 70 and the heat conduction unit 101 can be easily released. Therefore, it is possible to switch between a heating state in which the gripping unit 50 is heated and a heating-off state in which the heating unit 100 is not heated. Therefore, for example, if overheating of the gripping unit 50 is unnecessary, such as in summer, heating can be stopped.

[0034] (Second Embodiment) Figure 8 is a diagram showing an overview of the heating section 200 of the teaching control panel 1B in the second embodiment. Figure 9 is a diagram showing the vicinity of the control unit 70 in Figure 8 in more detail. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing one example of the configuration of the fixed block 210, cut near the control unit 70 at the position of arrow C-C in Figure 9. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the fixed block 210, cut near the control unit 70 at the position of arrow C-C in Figure 9.

[0035] The teaching control panel 1B of the second embodiment is the same as the teaching control panel 1 of the first embodiment, except that the configuration of the heating section 200 is different. Therefore, parts that perform the same functions as those of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted as appropriate. The heating section 200 provided in the teaching control panel 1B of the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it uses a loop heat pipe (201-207). The heating section 200 comprises a steam pipe (heat conduction section) 201, a first liquid pipe 202, a second liquid pipe 203, an evaporator 204, a reservoir 205, a condenser 206, a heater 207, and a fixed block 210. The steam pipe (heat conduction section) 201, the first liquid pipe 202, the second liquid pipe 203, the evaporator 204, the reservoir 205, the condenser 206, and the heater 207 constitute a loop heat pipe. Furthermore, in this embodiment, two heating units 200 are provided, corresponding to each of the left and right gripping units 50. Since these two heating units 200 have similar shapes, they will not be described in any particular way.

[0036] The steam pipe (heat conduction section) 201 is a pipeline that transmits the vapor of the working fluid from the evaporator 204 to the condenser 206, and transmits the heat stored in the vapor to the condenser 206. In other words, the steam pipe (heat conduction section) 201 is connected to the control unit 70 via the evaporator 204 in a state that allows heat to be transferred, and transmits the heat from the control unit 70 to the gripping section 50.

[0037] The first liquid pipe 202 is a conduit that transmits the working fluid from the reservoir 205 to the evaporator 204.

[0038] The second liquid pipe 203 is a conduit that transmits the liquid working fluid, which has been cooled and liquefied in the condenser 206, from the condenser 206 to the reservoir 205.

[0039] The evaporator 204 converts the working fluid into steam using the heat from the control unit 70, which is the heat source. The steam produced by the evaporator 204 is transmitted to the condenser 206 via the steam pipe 201.

[0040] The reservoir 205 is located between the evaporator 204 and the condenser 206 and stores the working fluid.

[0041] The condenser 206 removes heat from the steam sent from the evaporator 204 and releases the heat to the outside, then liquefies the cooled steam and sends it to the reservoir 205 via the second liquid pipe 203.

[0042] The heater 207 heats the reservoir 205 according to the control signal from the control unit 70. The power required by the heater 207 to heat the reservoir 205 is very small. By heating the reservoir 205 and raising its temperature above that of the evaporator 204, the flow control within the loop heat pipe, specifically the flow of the working fluid, can be stopped. On the other hand, if heating by the heater 207 is stopped, the flow of the working fluid is restarted. Therefore, the teaching control panel 1B of this embodiment can be switched between a heating state in which the gripping section 50 is heated and a heating-stopped state in which the heating section 100 is not heated, by control from the control unit 70. The heater 207 may be in the form of a simple electric heating wire, but a heating element such as a Peltier element may also be used as the heater.

[0043] The fixed block 210 is similar to the fixed block 102 in the first embodiment, but differs from the fixed block 102 in that it holds the evaporator 204. As with the first embodiment, the form of the fixed block 210 in the second embodiment can be exemplified by the form shown in Figure 10, or the form using the first fixed block 210A and the second fixed block 210B shown in Figure 11.

[0044] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the teaching control panel 1B taken at the position indicated by arrows D-D in Figure 8. The gripping portion 50 is the same as in the first embodiment, except that a condenser 206 is provided instead of the heat conduction portion 101 in the first embodiment.

[0045] According to the second embodiment, by using a loop heat pipe for the heating unit 200, the gripping unit 50 can be heated more efficiently using the heat generated by the control unit 70. Also, the heating state and the heating stop state can be switched more easily with a small amount of energy consumption by using the heater 207.

[0046] As an effect of at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide an instructional operation panel that can warm the operator's hand without adversely affecting the operability and without increasing the energy consumption.

[0047] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. These embodiments can be variously added, replaced, changed, partially deleted, etc., without departing from the gist of the present disclosure or without departing from the gist of the present disclosure derived from the content described in the claims and its equivalents. Also, these embodiments can be implemented in combination. For example, in the embodiments described above, the order of each operation and the order of each process are shown as an example and are not limited thereto. The same applies when numerical values or mathematical formulas are used in the description of the above embodiments.

[0048] Regarding the above embodiments and modifications, the following additional remarks are further disclosed. (Additional Remark 1) An instructional operation panel (1, 1B) including an input unit (30), a display unit (20), a control unit (70), and a gripping unit (50), the heating unit (100, 200) for heating the gripping unit (50), and the heating unit (100, 200) includes a heat conduction unit (101, 201) connected to the control unit (70).

[0049] (Additional Remark 2) The instructional operation panel (1, 1B) according to Additional Remark 1, wherein the heating unit (100, 200) can be switched between a heating state in which the gripping unit (50) is heated and a heating stop state in which the heating unit (100, 200) does not perform heating.

[0050] (Note 3) In the teaching control panel (1) described in Note 2, the heating unit (100) is detachably attached to the teaching control panel (1) in part, and the teaching control panel (1) is such that it is possible to switch between a heating state and a heating stop state by attaching or detaching at least part of the heating unit (100).

[0051] (Note 4) In the teaching control panel (1B) described in Note 2, the heating section (200) has a loop heat pipe (201-207) including a reservoir (205) and a heater (207) for heating the reservoir (205), and the teaching control panel (1B) can switch between a heated state and a non-heated state of the heating section (200) depending on whether or not the reservoir (205) is heated by the heater (207).

[0052] 1, 1B Teaching operation panel 10 Housing 20 Display unit 30 Input unit 40 Connection unit 50 Gripping unit 51 Heat receiving unit 52 Insulation unit 60 Circuit board 70 Control unit 81 Volatile memory unit 82 Non-volatile memory unit 100 Heating unit 101 Heat conducting unit 102 Fixing block 102A First fixing block 102B Second fixing block 103 Bolt 104 Nut 200 Heating unit 201 Steam pipe 202 First liquid pipe 203 Second liquid pipe 204 Evaporator 205 Reservoir 206 Condenser 207 Heater 210 Fixing block 210A First fixing block 210B Second fixing block

Claims

1. A teaching control panel comprising an input unit, a display unit, a control unit, and a gripping unit, wherein the teaching control panel comprises a heating unit for heating the gripping unit, and the heating unit includes a heat conduction unit connected to the control unit.

2. A teaching control panel according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit can be switched between a heating state in which the gripping unit is heated and a heating-off state in which the heating unit is not heated.

3. A teaching control panel according to claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the heating unit is detachable from the teaching control panel, and by detaching at least a portion of the heating unit, it is possible to switch between a heating state and a heating-off state.

4. A teaching control panel according to claim 2, wherein the heating unit has a loop heat pipe including a reservoir and a heater for heating the reservoir, and the heating unit can be switched between a heated state and a non-heated state depending on whether or not the reservoir is heated by the heater.

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