JP2700832B2 - How to change teaching procedure setting of automatic machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a method for changing a teaching procedure setting of an automatic machine such as an industrial robot or an NC machine tool that operates based on teaching data, and in particular, teaching by replacing an IC card. The present invention relates to a method for changing settings of a data input procedure.

(Conventional technology and its problems) As is well known, an industrial robot operates based on teaching data set and input by an operator in advance. Therefore, the industrial robot is provided with a teaching pendant for inputting teaching data.

The teaching pendant functions as a man-machine interface between the robot main body and the operator, and is configured so that predetermined teaching data can be input in an interactive manner with the operator. That is, the input procedure of the teaching data by the teaching pendant is set in advance according to the purpose of use of the robot, and is executed according to software stored in a memory built in a control device of the robot body. This software may be created by the manufacturer according to the purpose of use of the robot at the customer's site, and may be stored in the ROM or always stored in the RAM as system software.

Then, at the customer site, after the operator sets and inputs the teaching data in the input procedure, the robot body operates based on the teaching data.

By the way, after the robot is delivered, the purpose of use of the robot at the customer may be changed. In such a case, if teaching data according to the purpose of use can be taught in as simple a procedure as possible, the usability will be improved for the user, the efficiency of teaching work will be improved,
Moreover, teaching mistakes and the like can be reduced.

However, as described above, in the conventional industrial robot, if the software corresponding to the teaching data input procedure is stored in the ROM, in order to change the teaching procedure, the software is built into the controller of the robot body. It is necessary to remove the stored ROM and replace it with a ROM storing new software corresponding to the new input procedure. Such an operation is complicated, and when the ROM is replaced, attention must be paid to bending or breaking of the lead pins. Therefore, changing the teaching procedure is inefficient, and
There is a problem that a defect such as bending of the lead pin of the ROM occurs and the reliability is lacking. In addition, RA as system software
If it is always stored in M, complicated work such as replacement of system software is required.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, and provides a method of changing the teaching procedure setting of an automatic machine in which the teaching procedure can be easily changed and the operation reliability at the time of the change is high. The purpose is to do.

(Means for Achieving Object) The present invention relates to a teaching procedure setting change method for an automatic machine that operates based on teaching data, and relates to a teaching procedure set and recorded on an IC card in order to achieve the above object. To the automatic machine, and the setting of the input procedure of the teaching data is changed according to the program.

(Operation) According to the present invention, the program related to the teaching procedure set and recorded on the IC card is provided to the automatic machine. Then, the input procedure of the teaching data is changed according to the program.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a mechanical configuration of a rectangular coordinate laser cutting robot as an example of an industrial robot to which the teaching procedure changing method according to the present invention can be applied. In FIG. 1, the robot RB has a movable base 2 movable on a base 1 in an X direction (horizontal direction) by a motor (not shown). Is placed. At the top of column 3 installed vertically on both sides of the base 1 is bridged beam 4, moves to the beam 4 extends in the Z direction in the figure (the vertical direction) by the motor M ₂ in the Y-direction A free moving column 5 is provided.

Further, the lower end of the moving column 5, the motor M ₄ up and down in the Z direction is provided by a motor M _3. Accordingly, the arm 6 provided at a position eccentric from the center axis of the moving column 5 rotates in the θ direction in the drawing. Further, the motor M ₅ is provided on the lower end side of the arm 6,
Thereby, the laser torch T as an end effector
Rotates in the direction shown in the figure.

A laser beam from a laser oscillation device 7 is given to the laser torch T through a laser guide pipe 8. Further, the control device 9 is electrically connected to a teaching pendant 10 which is input means of teaching data,
The teaching data is provided via the teaching pendant 10 to control the entire robot RB.

FIG. 2A is a front view of the teaching pendant 10,
FIG. 2B is a side view thereof. As shown in FIG. 2A, the teaching pendant 10 includes a numeric keypad 11 for "0" to "9", a key group 12 for inputting various kinds of pre-assigned information, and an interactive type. There is provided a liquid crystal display unit 13 for displaying necessary messages and information corresponding to key operations so that a teaching operation can be performed.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2B, the teaching pendant
An IC card insertion port 14 is provided on the side surface of the 10 so that an IC card storing a program related to a teaching procedure can be inserted into the teaching pendant 10.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the teaching pendant 10. As shown in FIG. In the figure, the teaching pendant 10
The liquid crystal display interface 16, the keyboard interface 17,
Memory 18 consisting of ROM and RAM, card interface 19,
An input port 21 for identifying whether or not the IC card 20 is inserted into the teaching pendant 10, a timer 22, and a main body control side interface 23 are connected.

Therefore, the IC card 20 storing a predetermined program is inserted into the teaching pendant 10 from the IC card insertion slot 14.
Is input to the CPU 15 from the input port 21 via the bus line B. Then, in response to this signal, the CPU 15 controls the display on the liquid crystal display unit 13 based on this program and the key operation of the operator.

Next, a procedure for performing a cutting operation by the robot RB including a teaching process will be briefly described.

First, the operator inserts the IC card 20 storing a predetermined program into the teaching pendant 10. If there is no change in the procedure, the IC card 20 can be left inserted, and it is not necessary to perform this operation every time it is used. This program is for controlling the teaching pendant 10 so that it can be performed in the optimal teaching procedure for setting the teaching data necessary for the cutting work, and is created by the manufacturer before delivery to the customer It is.

When the input port 21 detects that the IC card 20 has been inserted into the teaching pendant 10, a message is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 13 of the teaching pendant 10 based on the program. Then, the operator who has seen this operates the number input keys 11 and the key group 12 appropriately to input data corresponding to the message. Subsequently, the next message is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 13 to prompt the next data input. Like this, IC card
According to the program stored in 20, the message display on the liquid crystal display unit 13 and the data input by the operator are repeated, that is, the procedure and teaching data necessary for the cutting operation are sequentially input in an interactive manner. The input teaching data is temporarily stored in memory.
Stored in 18.

As described above, after the teaching process is completed and the preparation for cutting work is completed, the operator starts
When the key 12a is operated, the robot RB performs a cutting operation according to the teaching data taught up to that time and a program previously set and stored in a memory (not shown) of the control device 9.

By the way, as described above, after the robot is delivered, the purpose of use of the robot at the customer may be changed. In such a case, the teaching procedure can be easily changed as follows. That is, when the use purpose is changed, first, the maker side (or the customer side) examines an input procedure of teaching data according to the changed use purpose. Specifically, the input procedure is determined so that the minimum teaching data that must be given to the robot RB to achieve the purpose of use can be taught in a procedure as simple as possible. Subsequently, a program for the input procedure is created and written to another IC card so that the teaching procedure is executed.

Then, before operating the robot RB with the changed usage purpose, the operator operates the teaching pendant 10 to store the old version of the program on the IC card.
The user removes the IC card 20 and inserts an IC card in which a new version of the program has been written into the teaching pendant 10 in place of the IC card 20.

Then, similarly to the above, insertion of the IC card into the teaching pendant 10 is detected by the input port 21, and
A message based on the program is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 13 of the teaching pendant 10. Thereafter, in accordance with the program stored in the IC card, the message display on the liquid crystal display unit 13 and the data input by the operator are repeated, and the procedure and teaching data necessary for the changed use purpose are changed. Are sequentially input. After the teaching process is completed, when the operator operates the “start” key 12a, the robot RB is operated according to the input teaching data and a program previously set and stored in the memory of the control device 9.
Performs a task according to its purpose.

As described above, according to this embodiment, an IC card in which a program related to a teaching procedure is recorded is inserted into the teaching pendant 10, and teaching data is sequentially input based on the program. Therefore, when the purpose of use is changed, prepare an IC card on which a program related to the teaching procedure after the change is recorded, and replace the IC card with the IC card on which it was recorded before the change Can change the teaching procedure. As a result, the work of changing the teaching procedure is simplified. In addition, as described above, changes in the teaching procedure are easy to handle ICs.
Since the replacement is performed by replacing the card, workability and reliability are higher than in the conventional ROM conversion.

In the above embodiment, the case where the purpose of use of the robot RB is changed has been described. However, according to the present invention, it is possible to flexibly cope with multinational display information. That is, a program is written in each IC card so that the message display on the liquid crystal display unit 13 is performed in different languages, and the message is displayed in a desired language by replacing the IC card. Is also good. By doing so, it is possible to cope with the use of different languages while maintaining the same teaching pendant configuration.

Further, in the above embodiment, the rectangular coordinate laser cutting robot RB is described as an application target of the invention,
The present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to all general automatic mechanisms that operate based on teaching data.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, a program related to a teaching procedure set and recorded on an IC card is given to an automatic machine, and the input procedure of teaching data is changed according to the program. Therefore, the teaching procedure can be changed by replacing the IC card which is easy to handle. Therefore, the efficiency of the work of changing the teaching procedure is improved. In addition, the problem such as bending of the lead pin which has occurred in the conventional changing operation is eliminated, and the reliability of the changing operation of the teaching means is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a mechanical configuration of a rectangular coordinate type laser cutting robot to which a teaching procedure changing method according to the present invention can be applied. FIG. 2A is a front view of a teaching pendant. FIG. 3 is a side view of the teaching pendant, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the teaching pendant. 20 …… IC card, RB …… Laser cutting robot

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] In an automatic machine operating based on teaching data, a program related to a teaching procedure set and recorded on an IC card is given to the automatic machine, and a setting change of a teaching data input procedure is performed according to the program. Characteristic method of changing teaching procedure settings for automatic machines.