Robot Controller with Detachable Teaching Pendant
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robot controllers with detachable teaching pendants require suspension of robot operations during attachment or detachment, leading to increased operational costs and safety concerns due to unnecessary emergency stops.
Innovation Solution
A robot controller with a detachable teaching pendant featuring a connection/disconnection switch, a signal part for generating connection-recognition signals, and a power interrupting part that avoids interrupting drive power during a predetermined allowable state, allowing safe detachment and attachment without stopping the robot's motion, and an abnormal detecting part to handle phase mismatches in emergency stop signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the teaching pendant is detachably connected to the robot controller, then the system cost is reduced and operational flexibility is improved, but unnecessary emergency stops occur during attachment/detachment operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the emergency stop function based on the connection state of the teaching pendant. When the pendant is detached, the emergency stop button's effect is suspended temporarily (connecting/disconnecting operation allowable state), preventing false emergency stops while maintaining the ability to stop when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the emergency stop circuit based on connection status. By detecting whether the teaching pendant is connected or detached, the system adjusts the emergency stop response behavior, allowing temporary suspension of emergency stop function during detachment operations to avoid false triggers
2Reliability
If the emergency stop function is always active, then operator safety is ensured, but the robot operation is interrupted during teaching pendant attachment/detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The emergency stop function transitions from a static always-active state to a dynamic state that adapts based on teaching pendant connection status. During the connecting/disconnecting operation allowable state, the emergency stop function is temporarily suspended to allow continuous robot operation, while restoring safety when the pendant is properly connected
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a connecting/disconnecting operation allowable state that temporarily suspends emergency stop function before actual attachment/detachment occurs. This preliminary action prevents unnecessary interruptions while maintaining safety through other monitoring mechanisms
3Reliability
If the teaching pendant remains connected during robot operation, then emergency stop responsiveness is maintained, but operational cost increases due to inability to share pendants
Solution Approach 1:
The teaching pendant is designed to be universally usable across multiple robot controllers through detachable connection. The one-to-many sharing capability reduces system costs while the emergency stop suspension feature during detachment ensures continuous operation and maintains safety responsiveness when needed
Data Source
AI summary
A robot controller for ensuring safety of an operator, which is capable of reducing operational cost by avoiding unnecessary emergency stop of a robot. A teaching pendant has an emergency stop button for interrupting drive power for the robot, and a main body of the controller has a signal part which receives an emergency stop signal from the teaching pendant when the emergency stop button is pushed, and a power interrupting part which interrupts the drive power for the robot when the signal part receives the emergency stop signal under a predetermined condition. Until a first predetermined period of time has passed after a connection/disconnection switch is operated, the power interrupting part does not interrupt the drive power when a connection-recognition signal representing that the teaching pendant is connected to the main body is not generated, even when the emergency stop signal is input from the teaching pendant.