Robot Teaching Program Generation for Error-Tolerant Sensing Positions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for generating teaching programs for industrial robots, such as welding robots, require significant operator workload and proficiency, especially when dealing with non-assumed workpiece shapes or patterns, as they need pre-registered master data and operation patterns.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for generating teaching programs that automatically set a sensing position on a workpiece surface within a range that accounts for the maximum permissible error and its direction, thereby reducing the operator's workload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If master data and operation patterns are registered in advance according to existing methods, then sensing operations can be performed with predefined patterns, but additional registration is required for non-assumed shapes and the operator's workload increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines sensing patterns and positions based on workpiece shape data without requiring operator registration or selection. The teaching program generation is performed autonomously by the control device calculating optimal sensing parameters from CAD data or other shape information sources.
Solution Approach 2:
Sensing positions and patterns are pre-calculated and stored in the system based on typical workpiece shapes and error characteristics. When a workpiece is processed, the system automatically selects and applies the appropriate pre-calculated sensing configuration without requiring operator intervention for registration or selection.
2Adaptability or versatility
If many operation patterns are registered to handle various workpiece shapes, then the system can accommodate diverse geometries, but selecting the appropriate pattern requires high operator proficiency and increases workload
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines the appropriate sensing pattern by analyzing workpiece shape data and selecting from stored patterns based on geometric matching. The control device performs the selection process autonomously without requiring operator proficiency in pattern selection or manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system varies sensing parameters such as sensing positions, directions, and patterns based on the specific geometric parameters of the workpiece. By automatically adjusting these parameters according to workpiece shape characteristics, the system achieves high adaptability without requiring multiple manually selected patterns.
3Measurement precision
If sensing positions are set manually for each workpiece, then precise sensing can be achieved, but the process requires significant operator time and expertise
Solution Approach 1:
Sensing positions are pre-calculated based on workpiece shape data and error characteristics before actual sensing operations. The system stores optimal sensing positions derived from theoretical analysis and automatically applies them, eliminating the need for manual position setting while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual process of setting sensing positions by operators is replaced with an automated computational system that calculates optimal positions based on workpiece geometry and error models. This substitution of manual mechanical positioning with automated computational determination achieves both precision and efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Reduced workload on a user can be achieved when a sensing-related teaching program is to be generated. A method for generating a teaching program that defines sensing operation includes a setting step for setting a sensing position at a surface of a workpiece, and a generating step for generating a teaching program of the sensing operation based on the sensing position set in the setting step. The sensing position is set within a range in which a maximum permissible amount for an error of the workpiece and a permissible range preliminarily defined with respect to a direction of the error are included in the surface.