Teaching device, teaching method, and teaching program for industrial machine

Abstract

Provided is a teaching device for an industrial machine that, in order to easily teach a palletizing operation for efficiently arranging cargo delivered in an aligned state on a pallet at a output location in a predetermined stacking pattern, teaches a palletizing operation using a hand capable of simultaneously conveying a plurality of articles carried in an aligned state. The teaching device can set at least one of a pickup group indicating one or more articles to be simultaneously picked up from the input location by the hand and a drop group indicating one or more articles to be simultaneously arranged at the output location by the hand.

Description

Teaching device, teaching method, and teaching program for industrial machines

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a teaching device, a teaching method, and a teaching program for industrial machines.

[0002] There is known a depalletizing device that recognizes a plurality of packages carried in and mounted on a pallet in an arbitrary posture with a camera, simultaneously adsorbs them, and arranges them in alignment on the pallet at the unloading location (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this device, a plurality of packages are simultaneously adsorbed in the posture in which they are carried in, and are arranged on the pallet at the unloading location while sequentially correcting the posture. Also disclosed is adsorbing a plurality of packages while aligning them and arranging them on the pallet at the unloading location.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-5769

[0004] However, when the packages are carried into the loading location in an aligned state, neither the recognition of the packages by the camera nor the operation of adsorbing or arranging them while aligning them is necessary. Therefore, it is desired to easily teach a palletizing operation for efficiently arranging the packages carried in in an aligned state on the pallet at the unloading location in a predetermined stacking pattern.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a teaching device for an industrial machine that teaches a palletizing operation by a hand capable of simultaneously transporting a plurality of articles carried in in an aligned state, the teaching device being capable of setting at least one of a pickup group indicating one or more of the articles picked up simultaneously by the hand from a loading location or a drop group indicating one or more of the articles arranged simultaneously by the hand at an unloading location.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a teaching method for an industrial machine that teaches a palletizing operation by a hand capable of simultaneously transporting a plurality of articles carried in in an aligned state, the teaching method including setting at least one of a pickup group indicating one or more of the articles picked up simultaneously by the hand from a loading location or a drop group indicating one or more of the articles arranged simultaneously by the hand at an unloading location.

[0007] Furthermore, another aspect of the present disclosure is a teaching program for an industrial machine that teaches a palletizing operation by a hand capable of simultaneously transporting a plurality of articles brought in in an aligned state, the teaching program causing a computer to set up at least one of the pickup groups, which represent one or more of the articles that the hand simultaneously picks up from an input location, or one or more of the articles that the hand simultaneously places at an output location.

[0008] Figure 3 is a plan view showing an article transport system to which a teaching device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a setting screen displayed on the display unit of the teaching device in Figure 2. Figure 5 shows the state in which the first virtual article is selected in the stacking pattern displayed on the setting screen in Figure 3. Figure 6 shows the state in which the second virtual article is selected in the stacking pattern displayed on the setting screen in Figure 4. Figure 5 shows the state in which the third virtual article is selected in the stacking pattern displayed on the setting screen in Figure 5. Figure 6 shows the state in which the fourth virtual article is selected in the stacking pattern displayed on the setting screen in Figure 6. Figure 7 shows the state in which all virtual articles are selected in the stacking pattern displayed on the setting screen in Figure 3. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the case of ungrouping virtual articles that have been set to the same pickup group in the setting screen. Figure 9 shows the state in which multiple virtual articles that were set to the same pickup group are set to separate pickup groups as a result of the operation in Figure 9. Figure 8 shows the state in which the display switching button is set to drop in the setting screen. Figure 11 shows the state in which a virtual article is selected in the setting screen. Figure 12 shows the state in which the grouping button is pressed to rebuild the drop group after the operation in Figure 12. Figure 8 shows the state in which the display switching button is set to pick in the setting screen. This diagram shows the state of selecting a virtual item in the settings screen of Figure 14. This diagram shows the state after the operation in Figure 15, where the grouping button is pressed to rebuild the pickup group. This diagram explains how to combine multiple virtual items that were set in separate drop groups into the same drop group in the settings screen of Figure 8. This diagram shows the state of dragging the virtual item in Figure 17. This diagram shows the state after dropping the dragged virtual item in Figure 18. This is a flowchart explaining the operation in Figure 17. This diagram explains how to swap the virtual items in a drop group in the settings screen of Figure 3. This diagram shows the state of dragging the virtual item in Figure 21. This diagram shows the state after dropping the dragged virtual item in Figure 22.This diagram illustrates the state of dragging to swap one virtual item within the same drop group in the settings screen of Figure 21. This diagram shows the state after dropping the virtual item that was being dragged in Figure 24. This diagram shows the state after switching from the settings screen that displayed the drop group number in Figure 23 to the settings screen that displays the pickup group number. This diagram shows the state of dragging to swap virtual items with the same pickup group number in the settings screen of Figure 26. This diagram illustrates how to set the approach direction and orientation of items on the palette on the settings screen. This diagram shows an example of displaying both the pickup group number and the drop group number for each virtual item in the settings screen of Figure 3. This diagram shows another example of displaying both the pickup group number and the drop group number for each virtual item in the settings screen of Figure 3. This diagram shows another example of displaying both the pickup group number and the drop group number for each virtual item in the settings screen of Figure 3. This diagram shows a teaching control panel as a teaching device.

[0009] Below, a teaching device 1, teaching method, and teaching program for an industrial machine according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The teaching device 1 according to this embodiment is a teaching device for a robot 10, which is an example of an industrial machine, and is used in the article transport system 100 shown in Figure 1.

[0010] This item transport system 100 comprises a robot 10, a control device 20 for controlling the robot 10, and a conveyor 30 for transporting items W picked up by a hand 11 attached to the robot 10 to a loading location. The robot 10 is, for example, a vertical 6-axis articulated robot, but is not limited to this, and any other type of robot may be used.

[0011] Furthermore, the hand 11 is a negative-pressure suction type hand equipped with multiple suction pads that can be operated independently. The suction pads are arranged in multiple rows and multiple columns, and the pads at the positions for suctioning the articles W can be selectively activated. The hand 11 can, upon command from the control device 20, pick up up to three articles W aligned in a single row at once, for example, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1, and place (drop) these articles W at once or separately.

[0012] The hand 11 is not limited to a negative pressure suction type; if the article W is made of a magnetic material, it may be a magnetic suction type or a type that grips with claws. The conveyor 30 may be any type, such as a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor. As shown in Figure 1, the conveyor 30 is equipped with a stopper 31 that blocks the leading article W as it is sequentially conveyed in one direction. As a result, the conveyor 30 sequentially brings the front surfaces of subsequent articles W into close contact with the rear surfaces of articles W that have stopped after hitting the stopper 31, aligning their sides in the width direction and arranging them in a line at the loading location X. Consequently, the robot 10 does not need a camera to recognize the articles W placed at the loading location X, and can pick up articles W by placing the hand 11 at the same loading location X.

[0013] Furthermore, the item transport system 100 includes a pallet (discharge area) 40 for placing the items W that have been picked up by the hand 11. In the example shown in Figure 1, the items W are shown packed in a rectangular cardboard box, but their shape and type can be arbitrary, as long as they are items W that can be picked up by the hand 11.

[0014] The teaching device 1 according to this embodiment is, for example, a teaching control panel connected to the control device 20, or a tablet-type computer capable of communicating with the control device 20 wirelessly or via a wired connection. Here, a tablet-type computer will be used as an example in the explanation. Note that the teaching device 1 may also be a computer for creating teaching programs offline.

[0015] As shown in Figure 2, the teaching device 1 comprises a processor 2, memory 3, display unit 4, storage unit 5, and input / output unit 6. The processor 2 is composed of a CPU or a quantum processor, etc. The display unit 4 is composed of a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL display device, etc. In this embodiment, the display unit 4 is controlled by the processor 2 and also functions as a user interface that accepts user input.

[0016] Memory 3 consists of DRAM and other components, and temporarily stores data necessary for the processor 2 to perform processing. Storage unit 5 consists of a hard disk or SSD, flash memory, and the like. Storage unit 5 stores a teaching program for the processor 2 to perform the operations described later, and the data necessary for those operations.

[0017] The input / output unit 6, controlled by the processor 2, communicates with external devices to export data stored in memory 3 to the outside and import data from external devices into memory 3.

[0018] Next, the setting screen in the teaching device 1 according to this embodiment will be described. When a teaching mode is selected from the menu (not shown) displayed on the display unit 4, the teaching device 1 displays the setting screen on the display unit 4. The user teaches the palletizing operation by operating on the setting screen displayed on the display unit 4.

[0019] Specifically, when teaching mode is selected, the settings screen shown in Figure 3 is displayed. This settings screen displays a stacking pattern at the top of the screen, which is the arrangement pattern of the items W on the pallet 40 at the loading location. Multiple stacking patterns can be selected, and each stacking pattern consists of rectangles representing virtual items w, which are the items W to be placed on the pallet 40 at the loading location, arranged in a predetermined number and orientation.

[0020] As shown in Figure 3, the initial screen at the start of teaching mode displays a stacking pattern where each virtual item w is represented by a straight line indicating its outline, and the inside of the virtual items w is blank. The settings screen displays the virtual items w of the pickup group, which represents the group of items that will be simultaneously picked up, at the bottom of the screen. The method for displaying the pickup group will be described later.

[0021] The settings screen displays the OK button, UNDO button, Ungroup button, Previous Group button, Next Group button, Cancel button, and Display Switch button.

[0022] Next, an example of a teaching method using this settings screen will be explained. As shown in Figure 4, the user selects one of the virtual items w in the stacking pattern displayed on the settings screen with their finger, or selects it by hovering the cursor over it. As a result, the selected virtual item w is surrounded by a thick line in the stacking pattern and is displayed at the bottom of the screen as a component of pickup group number "1".

[0023] Furthermore, the virtual item w selected in the stacking pattern and the virtual item w displayed at the bottom of the screen each display the drop group number "1", which indicates the order in which they will be placed on the pallet 40, the loading location. The display at the bottom of the screen includes a single pickup group number and up to three items W belonging to that pickup group.

[0024] For example, as shown in Figure 5, when a second virtual item w is selected, the selected virtual item w in the stacking pattern is surrounded by a thick line, and the drop group number "2" is displayed. Also, at the bottom of the screen, virtual items w belonging to drop group numbers "1" and "2" that are included in pickup group number "1" are displayed. These two virtual items w belong to the same pickup group but different drop groups, so a separator line is displayed between the virtual items w to indicate that they belong to different drop groups.

[0025] Similarly, as shown in Figure 6, when a third virtual item w is selected, the selected virtual item w in the stacking pattern is surrounded by a thick line, and the drop group number "3" is displayed. Also, at the bottom of the screen, the virtual items w of drop group numbers "1", "2", and "3" that are included in pickup group number "1" are displayed. These three virtual items w belong to the same pickup group but to different drop groups, so a separator line is displayed between the virtual items w to indicate that they belong to different drop groups.

[0026] Next, as shown in Figure 7, when the fourth virtual item w is selected, the thick lines that were previously enclosed around the three virtual items w are removed, and the newly selected virtual item w is enclosed around a thick line. Since the hand 11 can pick up a maximum of three items W, the fourth virtual item w automatically switches its pickup group number to "2" and displays its drop group number "4". Also, at the bottom of the screen, the virtual item w of drop group number "4", which is included in pickup group number "2", is displayed.

[0027] In this way, as shown in Figure 8, once all virtual items w are selected, all empty spaces in the stacking pattern are filled, and all virtual items w are assigned to one of the pickup and drop groups. The pickup and drop groups are then set for the virtual items w in the order they are selected by the user.

[0028] When selecting each virtual item w, press the OK button to confirm the operation, or the UNDO button to cancel the operation. Also, when two or fewer virtual items w are selected, press the Next Group button to switch the pickup group.

[0029] The settings screens shown in Figures 3 to 8 configure the placement order when up to three items W are simultaneously picked up at the loading location X and then placed one by one at the unloading location, pallet 40. In this configuration, five pickup groups and thirteen drop groups are set.

[0030] After the user has finished configuring all virtual items w, or even during the configuration process, they can view the previously configured pickup groups by pressing the "Previous Group" button on the configuration screen. If the user wants to change the grouping of multiple virtual items w that are currently in the same pickup group to a different pickup group, they press the "Ungroup" button on the configuration screen, as shown in Figure 9.

[0031] As a result, for example, the pickup groups for drop group numbers "11," "12," and "13," which were set to the same pickup group number "5," are released. Consequently, as shown in Figure 10, of the virtual items w in drop group numbers "11," "12," and "13," only drop group number "11" remains in pickup group number "5."

[0032] Then, the virtual item w of drop group number "12" is set to pickup group number "6", and the virtual item w of drop group number "13" is set to pickup group number "7". In other words, multiple virtual items w set in one pickup group can be divided and set in multiple different pickup groups.

[0033] Furthermore, if you wish to select virtual items w and create a new pickup group or drop group, a group button may be provided on the settings screen, as shown in Figures 11 to 16. When the user selects one or more virtual items w and presses the group button, a new pickup group or drop group will be formed with the selected virtual items w.

[0034] In the example shown in Figure 11, the display switching button is set to "Drop," and six virtual items w, each with a different drop group number, are selected as pickup group number "1." In this state, for example, as shown in Figure 12, drop group numbers "1" and "4" are selected, and as shown in Figure 13, the group button is pressed. As a result, if the selected virtual items w can be placed simultaneously, they are set to the same drop group number "1," and the drop group numbers of the virtual items w that were not selected are reassigned. In this example, the virtual items w originally with drop group numbers "5" and "6" are moved down to drop group numbers "4" and "5."

[0035] Furthermore, the example shown in Figure 14 shows a case where the display switching button is set to "Pick" and six virtual items w set in separate drop groups are selected as pickup group number "1". In this state, for example, as shown in Figure 15, pickup group numbers "1", "2", and "2" are selected, and as shown in Figure 16, the group button is pressed. As a result, if the selected virtual items w can be placed simultaneously, they are set to the same pickup group number "1", and the pickup group numbers of the virtual items w that were not selected are reassigned. In this example, the virtual items w that were not selected within the original pickup group number "1" become pickup group number "2". Also, the virtual items w that were not selected within the original pickup group number "2" become pickup group number "3".

[0036] Furthermore, in the settings screen, users can also group multiple virtual items w that have different drop groups set to the same pickup group into the same drop group. For example, as shown in Figure 17, virtual items w with drop group numbers "3" and "4" that are set to the same pickup group number "2" can be grouped into the same drop group number "3".

[0037] In this case, as shown in Figure 18, the user selects and drags the virtual item w of drop group number "4", which is a component of pickup group number "2" displayed at the bottom of the screen, with their finger. Then, they drop the dragged virtual item w of drop group number "4" onto the virtual item w of drop group number "3".

[0038] As a result, as shown in Figure 19, virtual items w with drop group numbers "3" and "4" that were set to the same pickup group number "2" are merged into the same drop group number "3". The drop group numbers of virtual items w from drop group number "5" onwards are incremented by one. Also, since the drop group numbers of the two virtual items w within pickup group number "2" become the same, the isolation line that was displayed between the virtual items w disappears.

[0039] In this case, as shown in Figure 20, when the user performs a drag-and-drop operation on a virtual item w (step S1), the processor 2 performs the following process: That is, the processor 2 determines whether the virtual items w of drop group numbers "3" and "4" can be set in the same drop group (step S2).

[0040] In this determination, processor 2 uses the positional relationship between the dragged virtual item w and the virtual item w at the drop destination on the stacking pattern. That is, as shown in Figure 17, if the virtual items w of drop group numbers "3" and "4" are positioned so that their long sides are touching, it is determined that they can be set to the same drop group. If the virtual items w of drop group numbers "3" and "4" are in any other positional relationship, it is determined that they cannot be set.

[0041] Then, if processor 2 determines that it is configurable, it sets the drop group number "4" of the dragged virtual item w to be the same as the drop group number "3" of the virtual item w at the drop destination (step S3). On the other hand, if processor 2 determines that it is not configurable, it disables the user's drag-and-drop operation (step S4).

[0042] Also, the user can also swap the virtual items w set between different pickup groups on the stacking pattern of the setting screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the arrangement positions of two virtual items w set with the same drop group number "4" on the stacking pattern can be swapped with two virtual items w with the drop group number "5".

[0043] In this case, as shown in FIG. 22, the user selects and drags two virtual items w with the drop group number "4" displayed in the stacking pattern at the upper part of the screen with a finger. Then, the dragged virtual item w is dropped onto the virtual item w with the drop group number "5". As a result, as shown in FIG. 23, two virtual items w with the drop group number "4" that were set with the same pickup group number "2" are swapped with the drop group number "5" on the stacking pattern.

[0044] As the arrangement order of the items W on the pallet 40, generally, it is preferable to arrange them from a place far from the robot 10. This is because if they are arranged from a place close to the robot 10, the previously arranged item W may become an obstacle to the subsequently arranged item W. When an incorrect arrangement order of arranging from a place close to the robot 10 is set during the pickup group setting, the above problem can be solved by swapping.

[0045] In FIGS. 21 to 23, the case of swapping two virtual items w with the drop group number "4" with two virtual items w with the drop group number "5" has been described. Instead of this, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, one of the two virtual items w with the drop group number "4" can also be swapped with one virtual item w with the drop group number "5".

[0046] In this case, since a plurality of articles W cannot be arranged simultaneously at distant positions in the stacking pattern, the drop numbers of the two virtual articles w with the pickup group number "2" are changed to "4" and "5". Similarly, the drop numbers of the two virtual articles w with the pickup group number "3" are changed from "5" to "6" and from "4" to "7". Furthermore, the drop numbers of the other virtual articles w are shifted down by two at a time.

[0047] Also, as shown in FIG. 26, the display can be switched by the user operating the display switching button shown on the setting screen. In the example shown in FIG. 26, in FIG. 23, the display switching button set to "Drop" is switched to "Pick". As a result, the display switches to a display in which a pickup group number is assigned to each virtual article w in the stacking pattern.

[0048] And on the setting screen where this pickup group number is displayed, as shown in FIG. 27, the virtual articles w set in different pickup groups can also be swapped. In this case as well, in the same manner as above, by dragging the virtual article w with the pickup group number for which the position on the stacking pattern is to be swapped and dropping it onto the virtual article w at the swap destination, it can be easily swapped.

[0049] Even in this case, one or two of the three virtual articles w with the same drop group number "4" can be swapped with one or two of the virtual articles w with the drop group number "1".

[0050] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 28, it may be possible to set the approach direction of the article W when arranging the article W on the pallet 40. In the example shown in FIG. 28, arrows pointing in four directions are displayed at the four corners of the virtual article w shown at the bottom of the setting screen, and the user can select any one of them to set the approach direction. The arrows shown for the virtual articles w in the stacking pattern indicate the approach direction set for that virtual article w.

[0051] Furthermore, the orientation of the items W when placing them on the pallet 40 may be set. In the example shown in Figure 28, the filled-in side of the virtual item w shown on the setting screen indicates the orientation of the item W. Additionally, a rotation button is provided for the virtual item w shown at the bottom of the setting screen, and each time the rotation button is pressed while the virtual item w is selected, the orientation of the selected virtual item w can be rotated by 180°. For example, as shown in Figure 28, the orientation of the items W can be arranged so that the filled-in side of all virtual items w is positioned outside the stacking pattern.

[0052] Thus, according to this embodiment, the work efficiency can be improved when picking up items W that are brought into the loading area X in a line by the conveyor 30 and palletizing them onto the pallet 40 at the loading area. That is, by setting up pickup groups of items W to be picked up at once in the loading area X, for example, items W that are placed close together on the pallet 40 can be picked up and palletized together. Therefore, the operation of the robot 10 to pick up items multiple times in the loading area X becomes unnecessary, and efficiency can be improved.

[0053] Furthermore, by setting drop groups for the items W to be placed on the pallet 40 at once, multiple items W picked up at the loading location X can be placed together at adjacent locations on the pallet 40. Also, multiple items W that have been grasped together can be grouped and placed according to their placement location on the pallet 40. Therefore, the robot 10 does not need to repeatedly go to the loading location, the pallet 40, and can be taught a palletizing operation with improved efficiency.

[0054] Furthermore, by assigning virtual items w to the stacking patterns displayed on the display unit 4, the user can intuitively and easily set up pickup groups or drop groups. The pickup groups or drop groups can also be set up according to the order in which the virtual items w are assigned to the stacking patterns displayed on the display unit 4. This improves the convenience of teaching palletizing operations.

[0055] Furthermore, multiple virtual items w set in a single pickup group or drop group can be separated and set into multiple different pickup groups or drop groups after the initial setup. Alternatively, multiple virtual items w set in different pickup groups or drop groups can be grouped together and set into the same pickup group or drop group after the initial setup. This also improves the convenience of teaching palletizing operations.

[0056] Furthermore, the virtual items w assigned to each pickup group or drop group can be swapped between different pickup groups or drop groups. These operations can also be performed by selecting the virtual items w assigned to the stacking pattern displayed on the display unit 4, or by dragging and dropping them. This also improves the convenience of teaching palletizing operations.

[0057] In other words, according to this embodiment, there is an advantage in that highly productive palletizing operations can be easily taught by manipulating the virtual item w displayed on the display unit 4.

[0058] Furthermore, when an operation is performed to group multiple virtual items w set in a single pickup group into the same drop group, it is determined whether the virtual items w being grouped can be placed simultaneously. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience of virtual items w that cannot be placed simultaneously being grouped into the same drop group. This prevents damage to items W and peripheral devices caused by placing items W in locations unintended by the user.

[0059] Furthermore, by allowing the approach direction of the items W when placed on the pallet 40 to be set, it is possible to place the items W while avoiding interference with items W that have already been placed. This enables the teaching of highly productive palletizing operations. In addition, by allowing the orientation of the items W when placed on the pallet 40 to be set, for example, a label attached to one side of an item W can be positioned on the outside, allowing the label to be checked without moving the stacked items W. This improves the usability of the palletized items W.

[0060] Furthermore, since the teaching device 1 is equipped with an input / output unit 6, for example, cargo information including pickup groups and / or drop groups can be imported from an external source, stored in memory 3, and used for teaching operations. Also, cargo information created by teaching the teaching device 1 and stored in memory 3 can be exported to an external source via the input / output unit 6. This makes it possible to easily deploy similar palletizing operations to other teaching devices, thereby reducing the amount of work required.

[0061] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 26, the display of either the drop group number or the pickup group number of the virtual item w set in the stacking pattern is performed by operating the display switching button. Alternatively, as shown in Figures 29 to 31, both the pickup group number and the drop group number may be displayed on the virtual item w.

[0062] The example shown in Figure 29 displays the pickup group number and drop group number connected by a hyphen, with the first number being the pickup group number and the second number being the drop group number. The pickup group number and drop group number can be swapped.

[0063] The example shown in Figure 30 is an example where the pickup group number and the drop group symbol are connected by a hyphen, similar to Figure 29, and the drop group symbol is shown as an alphabet. The pickup group symbol and the drop group number may also be connected, or the order may be reversed.

[0064] Furthermore, the example shown in Figure 31 displays the drop group number within the virtual item w and the pickup group number in a round speech bubble. The pickup group number and drop group number can also be reversed.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the example given is of the hand 11 picking up articles W that are transported by a single conveyor 30. Alternatively, this can be applied to picking up articles W that are transported by two or more conveyors 30. Also, although the example given is of the hand 11 picking up three or fewer articles W at once, the number of articles picked up can be arbitrary. Instead of three articles W in one row, this can be applied to picking up multiple rows, for example, two rows of three articles each, for a total of up to six articles W. In this case, the six articles W arranged in two rows may be picked up at once, or the articles W arranged in one row may be picked up in two separate batches of three articles each.

[0066] Furthermore, in this embodiment, both pickup groups and drop groups can be set, but it is also possible to set only pickup groups or only drop groups. If only pickup groups can be set, all items W picked up at once should be placed on the pallet 40 at the same time. If only drop groups can be set, the maximum number of items W should be picked up at once and placed sequentially on the pallet 40 according to the drop groups.

[0067] Furthermore, although the example given illustrates the case where goods W, which have been brought in in a line by the conveyor 30, are placed on the pallet 40, the method may also be applied to the case where goods W, which have been brought into the pallet 40 in a predetermined stacking pattern, are transferred to the conveyor 30. In this case, the stacking pattern at the delivery location X should be displayed on the settings screen and the pickup group should be set.

[0068] Furthermore, although the example shows a single layer of items on the pallet 40, it may also be applied to stacking multiple layers. In this case, the stacking pattern may be different for each layer. Also, although the example shows palletizing one type of item W, it may also be applied to palletizing different items W for each layer.

[0069] Furthermore, this method may be applied when multiple types of goods W are transported by a single conveyor 30, or when different types of goods W are transported by multiple conveyors 30. In this case, it may be applied when different types of goods W are mixed and palletized on each level, or when they are palletized separately by type on different pallets 40.

[0070] Furthermore, although a robot 10 is used as an example of industrial machinery in this embodiment, the invention is not limited to this and can be applied to any industrial machine having a mechanism that can move a hand 11 to transport an object W. Also, although a tablet computer is used as an example of teaching device 1 in this embodiment, a teaching control panel provided in the control device of the robot 10 may also be used. As shown in Figure 32, the teaching control panel includes a display unit 4 that displays a setting screen and a physical operation unit 7 such as a numeric keypad and a directional pad.

[0071] In this case, the user may use a physical operating unit 7, such as a directional pad or numeric keypad on the instruction control panel, to operate the cursor displayed on the display unit 4 or to operate the virtual item w. To swap drop groups, for example, the user may press the Shift button while operating the directional pad, drag the virtual item w to be swapped, and then release the Shift button to drop it.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example was given in which one virtual item w is assigned to each blank stacking pattern. Alternatively, the recommended assignment of virtual items w for each stacking pattern may be displayed, and the user may be taught the palletizing operation by performing operations such as swapping, ungrouping, or merging groups as needed.

[0073] While embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure have been described above, the teaching device 1, teaching method, and teaching program of the present disclosure are not limited to the embodiments and modifications described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0074] With respect to the above embodiments and modifications, the following further notes are disclosed. (Note 1) A teaching device for an industrial machine that teaches a palletizing operation by a hand capable of simultaneously transporting a plurality of articles brought in in an aligned state, wherein it is possible to set at least one of the following: a pickup group indicating one or more of the articles that the hand simultaneously picks up from a loading location, or a drop group indicating one or more of the articles that the hand simultaneously places at a loading location.

[0075] (Note 2) The teaching device according to Note 1, comprising a display unit which displays the stacking pattern of the articles at the loading location and displays a virtual article that virtually represents the articles in an operable manner, and the user can set the pickup group or the drop group by assigning the virtual article to the displayed stacking pattern.

[0076] (Note 3) The teaching device according to Note 2, wherein the pickup group or the drop group can be set according to the order in which the virtual items are assigned to the stacking pattern displayed on the display unit.

[0077] (Note 4) The teaching device according to Note 2 or Note 3, wherein the multiple virtual articles set in one pickup group or drop group can be divided and set into multiple different pickup groups or drop groups.

[0078] (Note 5) The teaching device according to Note 2 or Note 3, which allows multiple virtual items set in the pickup group or drop group to be set together in the same pickup group or the same drop group.

[0079] (Note 6) The teaching device according to Note 5, which, when an operation is performed to group a plurality of virtual items set in one pickup group into the same drop group, determines whether the virtual items to be grouped can be placed simultaneously based on the virtual items assigned to the stacking pattern, and if it is determined that they cannot be placed simultaneously, invalidates the operation to group them into the same drop group.

[0080] (Note 7) The teaching device according to Note 2 or Note 3, which is capable of swapping the virtual articles set in each pickup group or drop group between different pickup groups or drop groups.

[0081] (Note 8) The teaching device according to any one of Notes 2 to 7, wherein the operation is the selection of the virtual item assigned to the stacking pattern displayed on the display unit, or drag and drop.

[0082] (Note 9) A teaching device according to any one of Notes 2 to 8, comprising a physical operating unit that enables the user to perform the operations on the virtual article displayed on the display unit.

[0083] (Note 10) The teaching device according to Note 5, wherein the display unit displays the virtual items belonging to the same pickup group or the same drop group that have been set, in an identifiable manner.

[0084] (Note 11) A teaching device according to any one of Notes 2 to 10 that displays for each virtual item the approach direction when the item is placed in the loading location.

[0085] (Note 12) A teaching device according to any one of Notes 2 to 11 that displays for each virtual item the orientation of the item when it is placed in the loading location.

[0086] (Note 13) A teaching device according to any one of Notes 1 to 12, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the processor can acquire item information, including the settings of the pickup group or the drop group, by importing it from an external source, and stores the acquired item information in the memory.

[0087] (Note 14) A teaching device according to any one of Notes 1 to 12, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the processor stores item information including the settings of the pickup group or the drop group in the memory, and the stored item information is exportable to the outside.

[0088] (Note 15) A teaching method for an industrial machine that teaches a palletizing operation by a hand capable of simultaneously transporting multiple articles brought in in an aligned state, the teaching method comprising setting up at least one of the following: a pickup group indicating one or more of the articles that the hand simultaneously picks up from the loading location, or a drop group indicating one or more of the articles that the hand simultaneously places at the unloading location.

[0089] (Note 16) A teaching program for an industrial machine that teaches a palletizing operation by a hand capable of simultaneously transporting multiple items brought in in an aligned state, the teaching program causing a computer to set up at least one of the following: a pickup group indicating one or more of the items that the hand simultaneously picks up from the loading location, or a drop group indicating one or more of the items that the hand simultaneously places at the loading location.

[0090] 1 Teaching device 2 Processor 3 Memory 4 Display unit 7 Physical operation unit 10 Robot (industrial machine) 11 Hand 40 Pallet (discharge location) w Virtual item W Item X Receive location

Claims

1. A teaching device for an industrial machine that teaches a palletizing operation using a hand capable of simultaneously transporting multiple articles brought in in an aligned state, wherein the teaching device is capable of setting at least one of the following: a pickup group indicating one or more of the articles that the hand simultaneously picks up from the loading location, or a drop group indicating one or more of the articles that the hand simultaneously places at the unloading location.

2. The teaching device according to claim 1, comprising a display unit, the display unit displays a stacking pattern of the articles at the loading location, and displays a virtual article that virtually represents the articles in an operable manner, and the user can set the pickup group or the drop group by assigning the virtual article to the displayed stacking pattern.

3. The teaching device according to claim 2, wherein the pickup group or the drop group can be set according to the order in which the virtual articles are assigned to the stacking pattern displayed on the display unit.

4. The teaching device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a plurality of virtual articles set in one pickup group or drop group can be divided and set into a plurality of different pickup groups or drop groups.

5. The teaching device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the virtual articles set in multiple pickup groups or drop groups can be grouped together and set in the same pickup group or the same drop group.

6. The teaching device according to claim 5, wherein when an operation is performed to group a plurality of virtual articles set in one pickup group into the same drop group, the device determines whether the virtual articles to be grouped can be placed simultaneously based on the virtual articles assigned to the stacking pattern, and if it is determined that they cannot be placed simultaneously, the operation to group them into the same drop group is invalidated.

7. The teaching device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the virtual articles set in each pickup group or drop group can be swapped between different pickup groups or drop groups.

8. The teaching device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the operation is the selection or drag-and-drop of the virtual article assigned to the stacking pattern displayed on the display unit.

9. The teaching device according to any one of claims 2 to 8, further comprising a physical operating unit that enables the user to perform the operations on the virtual article displayed on the display unit.

10. The teaching device according to claim 5, wherein the display unit displays the virtual articles belonging to the same pickup group or the same drop group that have been set, in a manner that allows for identification.

11. A teaching device according to any one of claims 2 to 10, which displays for each virtual article the approach direction when the article is placed in the loading location.

12. A teaching device according to any one of claims 2 to 11, which displays for each virtual article the orientation of the article when it is placed in the loading location.

13. A teaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the processor is capable of acquiring item information, including the settings of the pickup group or the drop group, by importing it from an external source, and storing the acquired item information in the memory.

14. A teaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the processor stores article information including the settings of the pickup group or the drop group in the memory, and the stored article information is exportable to an external source.

15. A teaching method for an industrial machine that teaches a palletizing operation by a hand capable of simultaneously transporting multiple articles brought in in an aligned state, the teaching method comprising setting up at least one of the following: a pickup group indicating one or more of the articles that the hand simultaneously picks up from an input location, or a drop group indicating one or more of the articles that the hand simultaneously places at an output location.

16. A teaching program for an industrial machine that teaches a palletizing operation using a hand capable of simultaneously transporting multiple items brought in in an aligned state, the teaching program causing a computer to set up at least one of the following: a pickup group indicating one or more of the items that the hand simultaneously picks up from an input location, or a drop group indicating one or more of the items that the hand simultaneously places at an output location.

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