JP7167925B2 - Robot teaching device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a robot teaching device.

In order to operate a robot on a factory line or the like, a user needs to teach the robot how to operate. This teaching includes creating a program containing information on points (hereinafter referred to as "teaching points") in three-dimensional coordinates that are targets for robot operation. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a robot system that displays a movement locus of a teaching target point of a robot.

Japanese Patent No. 5375436

By the way, when a series of operations performed by a robot to be taught includes a plurality of work elements, it is desirable to manage the plurality of work elements in an easy-to-understand manner. In particular, as the number of work elements included in a series of operations performed by a robot increases, it becomes more difficult to manage the series of operations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to manage a series of operations performed by a robot in an easy-to-understand manner when teaching the robot.

A first exemplary invention of the present application is a task creation unit that creates a task, which is information related to a work element of a robot for an object, based on an operator's operation input, and stores the task created by the task creation unit. A robot teaching device comprising: a first storage unit; and a display control unit that refers to the first storage unit and displays a task list, which is a list of a plurality of tasks, on a display device.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when teaching a robot, a series of work which a robot performs can be managed in an easy-to-understand manner.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a robot teaching device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of each device included in the robot teaching device of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional CAD window according to an example of an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a teaching window according to an example embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram for conceptually explaining tasks. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing transition of teaching windows according to an example of an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of TCP settings for a target object. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of motion of the hand of the robot in the virtual space. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining how an operator sets TCP. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a task list. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of error tasks in the task list of FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing transition of teaching windows according to an example of an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a hierarchical list in the embodiment. FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram of the robot teaching device according to the embodiment. FIG. 15 is an example of a sequence chart showing processing of the robot teaching device according to the embodiment. FIG. 16 is an example of a sequence chart showing processing of the robot teaching device according to the embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing another display example of the hierarchical list in the embodiment.

An embodiment of the robot teaching device of the present invention will be described below.
The robot teaching device 1 of this embodiment provides offline teaching in which an operator creates teaching data for teaching the motion of the robot without actually operating the robot.
In the following description, a "work element" means a minimum unit work performed by a robot in a series of work such as "taking" or "placing" an object.
"Object" means an object to be worked by the robot, and is not limited to an object gripped by the robot (e.g., a work that is an object to be processed), but also an object related to the work of the robot (e.g., shelves on which objects to be grasped are placed).

(1) Configuration of Robot Teaching Apparatus According to Present Embodiment Hereinafter, the configuration of a robot teaching apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a robot teaching device 1 of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of each device included in the robot teaching device 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the robot teaching device 1 includes an information processing device 2 and a robot control device 3 . The information processing device 2 and the robot control device 3 are communicably connected by, for example, a communication network cable EC.
The information processing device 2 is a device for instructing motions to robots installed in a factory line. The information processing device 2 is provided for off-line teaching by an operator, and is arranged at a location (eg, operator's work place) away from the factory where the robot is installed, for example.

The robot control device 3 executes the robot program transmitted from the information processing device 2 . In this embodiment, the robot control device 3 is not connected to the robot, but when connected to the robot, it can send a control signal to the robot according to the execution result of the robot program to operate the robot. Therefore, preferably, the robot control device 3 is arranged near the actual robot.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the information processing device 2 includes a control section 21 , a storage 22 , an input device 23 , a display device 24 and a communication interface section 25 .
The control unit 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM stores a three-dimensional CAD application program and teaching software. The CPU develops three-dimensional CAD application software (hereinafter referred to as "CAD software" as appropriate) on the ROM and teaching software on the RAM and executes them. The teaching software and the CAD software execute processing in cooperation via an API (Application Program Interface).
The control unit 21 continuously displays images in units of frames in order to reproduce moving images using CAD software.

The storage 22 is a large-capacity storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), and is configured to be sequentially accessible by the CPU of the control unit 21 .
The storage 22 stores three-dimensional model data that is referred to when executing CAD software. In the example of this embodiment, the storage 22 stores three-dimensional model data of robots and objects (for example, pens, caps, products, pen trays, cap trays, product trays, which will be described later).
The execution log data acquired from the robot control device 3 is stored in the storage 22 . The execution log data includes execution results of the robot program and robot state data, which will be described later. The robot state data is used to reproduce the motion of the robot in a virtual space by moving images (animation) using three-dimensional CAD.

The input device 23 is a device for receiving operation input by an operator, and includes a pointing device.
The display device 24 is a device for displaying the execution results of teaching software and CAD software, and includes a display driving circuit and a display panel.
The communication interface unit 25 includes a communication circuit for network communication with the robot control device 3 .

The robot control device 3 includes a control section 31 , a storage 32 and a communication interface section 33 .
The control unit 31 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, and control circuit. The control unit 31 executes the robot program received from the information processing device 2 and outputs execution log data. The execution log data includes execution results of the robot program and robot state data of the robot that executes the work described in the robot program.
The robot state data is physical quantity data indicating the state of the robot over time. Physical quantities that indicate the state of the robot include the joint angles of the arms of the robot, and the speed and acceleration of the arms.

The storage 32 is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD or SSD, and is configured to be sequentially accessible by the CPU of the control section 31 . The storage 32 stores robot programs and execution log data.
The communication interface unit 33 includes a communication circuit for network communication with the information processing device 2 .

(2) User Interface in Offline Teaching In the robot teaching device 1 of this embodiment, the information processing device 2 provides offline teaching to the robot. In this off-line teaching, teaching software and CAD software run together to provide a useful user interface as described below.
In this embodiment, when the operator performs off-line teaching, the information processing apparatus 2 is caused to execute CAD software and teaching software.
The execution result of the CAD software is displayed in the CAD window, and the execution result of the teaching software is displayed in the teaching window. The operator causes the information processing device 2 to display both the CAD window and the teaching window, or causes the information processing device 2 to switch between the CAD window and the teaching window, and performs teaching-related operations.

FIG. 3 shows a CAD window W1 according to an example of this embodiment. FIG. 3 shows an image (hereinafter referred to as “CAD image”) is displayed.
In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the robot R performs a series of tasks of fitting a pen with a cap and assembling a product (a finished product in which the pen is fitted with the cap). A pen group P consisting of a plurality of pens is arranged on the pen tray 11, and a cap group C consisting of a plurality of caps is arranged on the cap tray 12. - 特許庁The jig 13 is a member for the robot R to temporarily place the pen and fit the cap. The product tray 14 is a member for placing products.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, each pen included in the pen group P, each cap included in the cap group C, the pen tray 11, the cap tray 12, the jig 13, and the product tray 14 are objects to be worked by the robot R. It is an example of an object. A product in which a cap is fitted to a pen is also an example of the object.

(2-1) Hierarchical List FIG. 4 shows a teaching window W2 according to an example of this embodiment. What is displayed in the teaching window W2 is a hierarchical list (an example of hierarchical data) showing the hierarchical relationship between the robot R and the objects included in the CAD image of FIG.

Teaching software can work with CAD software to create a hierarchical list. A tree-structured data format is prepared by teaching software as a hierarchical list. With the CAD window and the teaching window displayed, the operator selects the robot R and the object in the CAD image with the pointing device and drags them to the desired node in the tree structure data format. . By sequentially performing this operation for all the objects required for teaching the robot R, the hierarchical list can be completed. For the name of each node displayed in the hierarchical list, the name of the original three-dimensional model may be applied as is, or the name may be changed later.

In the following description, including the robot R and the object in the CAD image in one of the nodes of the hierarchical list is referred to as "registering the robot R or the object in the hierarchical list". FIG. 3 illustrates a CAD image when there is one robot, but when there are two or more robots, the two or more robots can be registered in the hierarchical list.

In the hierarchical list shown in FIG. 4, three nodes related to hands are provided below the node of robot R (Robot_R). The reason why a plurality of nodes are provided for the hand is to consider the work state assumed for the hand. That is, the nodes 61 to 63 have the following contents, and TCP (Tool Center Points), which will be described later, are set.

Node 61 (Pen): A hand for holding a pen Node 62 (Cap): A hand for holding a cap Node 63 (Pen_with_Cap): For holding a pen with a cap Corresponding hand

Right-click on any of the nodes 61 to 63 and select "hand sequence operation" to set the hand sequence related settings such as the actuation method (single solenoid, double solenoid, etc.), sensor type, etc. be able to.
Since the hand sequence depends on the object grasped by the hand 52 of the robot R, it is set for each object grasped by the hand 52 . If a task, which will be described later, is created when the hand sequence is not set, a warning display may be output to the display device 24 because the program based on the task cannot be executed.

As shown in FIG. 4, preferably, a robot area RA (example of the first area) for hierarchically displaying the constituent elements of the robot R (Robot_R, Hand in FIG. 4) and a hierarchical display of the constituent elements of the object. The hierarchical data is displayed separately from the object area PA (example of the second area) for displaying the hierarchical data.
The components of the object include jigs (JIG), pen trays (PenTray), cap trays (CapTray), product trays (ProductTray), pens (Pen1, Pen2, ..., Pen12), caps (Cap1, Cap2, ..., Cap12), and products (PenProduct1, PenProduct2, ..., PenProduct12).
Below the node of the jig (JIG), for example, the following nodes are provided corresponding to the work for the jig.

・Node 64 (PenProduct): A jig that holds a product (PenProduct) ・Node 65 (PenJ): A jig that holds a pen ・Node 66 (CapJ): A jig that holds a cap condition jig

Nodes corresponding to pens Pen1, Pen2, . Each node corresponding to caps Cap1, Cap2, . . . , Cap12 is provided under the node of the cap tray (CapTray). Each node corresponding to the products PenProduct1, PenProduct2, .

Robot R (Robot_R in FIG. 4) in the hierarchical list, and objects (jig (JIG), pen tray (PenTray), cap tray (CapTray), product tray (ProductTray), pen Pen1, Pen2, . . . , Pen12 , caps Cap1, Cap2, . . . , Cap12, and products PenProduct1, PenProduct2, . Therefore, even if the robot R and the three-dimensional model of the object in the hierarchical list are changed after the hierarchical list is created, there is no need to register them in the hierarchical list again.

In the hierarchical list of FIG. 4, right-click the selected robot R, target object, part, TCP, or the like in the CAD window at the position of any node in the robot area RA, and select "Add Part". By selecting , the robot R or object selected in the CAD window is registered in the hierarchical list.
In the hierarchical list in Fig. 4, by right-clicking an arbitrary position and selecting "Batch update", when the positional relationship of objects is changed on the CAD software, the positional relationship after the change will be displayed. information is reflected in the hierarchical list.

(2-2) Grouping Two or more objects registered in the hierarchical list can be grouped.
The procedure for grouping is as follows. For example, in FIG. 4, when grouping the pens Pen1 and Pen2 contained in the pen tray (PenTray), specify the node corresponding to the pens Pen1 and Pen2 in the hierarchical list with the pointing device, right-click, Next, an operation of selecting "create group" is performed. By performing this operation, the pens Pen1 and Pen2 are grouped. Two or more objects grouped in the hierarchical list are surrounded by a rectangular frame, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, so that the operator can recognize that the two or more objects are grouped. , a common font, or the same color.

Note that the example shown in FIG. 4 is a case of grouping objects corresponding to two consecutive nodes, but when grouping objects corresponding to two discontinuous nodes, grouping Alternatively, the hierarchical list may be updated so that the two nodes are consecutive. For example, when pen Pen1 and pen Pen3 are grouped, the order of the lower nodes of the pen tray (PenTray) node is updated to pen Pen1, Pen3, Pen2, and so on.

(2-3) Tasks Next, tasks will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram for conceptually explaining tasks.
A task is information about a work element that is the smallest unit of work performed by a robot in a series of work. A series of work performed by the robot R (hereinafter referred to as a "job") is composed of a plurality of work elements and movements between the work elements. Therefore, in this embodiment, a plurality of tasks are defined for jobs that the robot R performs.

In FIG. 5, lines with arrows conceptually indicate the trajectory of the robot R's hand 52 . The trajectory includes approach points AP1 and AP2 (examples of the first point), which are passing points before reaching the target point TP of the work element, the target point TP, and passing points after reaching the target point TP. certain departure points DP1, DP2 (each an example of a second point). The target point TP indicates the position of the object that is the target of the work element, and may be the TCP of the object, which will be described later.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the motion of the robot R before reaching the approach point AP1 corresponds to movement between work elements (that is, movement between the previous work element and the work element shown in FIG. 5). The movement of robot R from approach point AP1 to departure point DP2 corresponds to one work element and one task. The movement of the robot R after the departure point DP2 corresponds to movement between work elements (that is, movement between the work element shown in FIG. 5 and the next work element).
That is, the task may include information about the work element and at least one of the target point TP, the approach point AP, and the departure point DP.

FIG. 5 illustrates a case where interlocks are set at approach points AP1 and AP2. Interlocking is a process of waiting the robot R at at least one of the target point TP, the approach point AP, and the departure point DP based on an input signal in order to avoid interference with other robots. is.
The task may include information about interlock settings, including points to set interlocks and timeout values for waiting time due to interlocks.

(2-4) Creation of Task Next, a method of creating a task using a hierarchical list will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing transition of teaching windows according to an example of the present embodiment.
In order to create a task in the hierarchical list shown in FIG. , right-click, and select "Create Task". In other words, a node is selected from objects to be grasped by the hand of the robot R in the work element corresponding to the task, based on the operator's operation input.

When "task creation" is selected, a teaching window W3 for task creation in FIG. 6 is displayed. The teaching window W3 is a screen for performing detailed settings of the task, and displays items such as the task name (Name), the work element type (Function), and the work element target (Target). Here, by left-clicking a node corresponding to one of the objects in the target object area PA of the hierarchical list with the pointing device, the item of the target object (Target) in the teaching window W3 is left-clicked. A selected object is entered. In the column of the work element type (Function), one of the work elements is selected from a pull-down menu consisting of multiple types of preset work element candidates (for example, Pick up, Place, etc.). It is configured so that elements can be selected.

Next, by selecting an object to be worked on from the object area PA of the hierarchical list with the pointing device and performing a left-click operation, the selected object (Target) item of the teaching window W3 is displayed. object is input.
When data is input for each item of the work element type (Function) and the target (Target), the task name (Name) is automatically determined and displayed based on the data.

For example, in order to create a task corresponding to the work element "Take pen Pen1 from the pen tray" in a state where the hand of robot R is not holding anything, the operator selects node 61 in robot area RA with the pointing device Right-click and select Create Task. Next, by left-clicking the node 67 corresponding to the pen tray (PenTray) from the object area PA of the hierarchical list with the pointing device, the pen tray is added to the target item (Target) of the teaching window W3. (PenTray) is entered. In the work element type (Function) column, select "Pick up" from among multiple types of work element candidates. A teaching window W3 shown in FIG. 6 is displayed by performing a left-click operation with the pointing device on a node 68 corresponding to the pen Pen1 to be worked on from the object area PA of the hierarchical list. .

As a result of the above operation, a task named "Pickup_Pen1_From_PenTray" is created as information related to the work element "Pickup Pen1 from the pen tray".
In this embodiment, the operator can intuitively perform the task by specifying the target of the work element (here, "pen Pen1") and the start point (for example, "pen tray") or end point of the work element on the hierarchical list. can be created. Also, the name of the task is the work content of the work element (eg "Pickup"), the work target (eg "Pen Pen1"), the object that is the starting point of the work element (eg "pen tray"), or the end point. Since it is automatically created to include the object, the content of the task can be understood immediately from the name of the task.
It should be noted that a task may be collectively created for two or more objects grouped in the hierarchical list.

When a task is created, information about the approach point AP, target point TP, and departure point DP included in the task is automatically created. That is, since the task is associated with the data of the three-dimensional model in the virtual space of the object related to the task, based on the data of the three-dimensional model, the approach point AP, the target point TP, Then, each point of the departure point DP is calculated. In one example of the calculation method, a TCP (Tool Center Point; an example of a reference point) is calculated as the target point TP of the object, and the approach point AP and the departure point DP are calculated based on the TCP.

TCP means a reference point (or working point) of an object in virtual space, which serves as a reference for work on the object by the robot R, and is set for the hand 52 of the robot R and each object. . When setting the TCP, the local coordinate system with the TCP as the origin is also set. By setting the local coordinate system of the object, when rotating the Euler angle of the object, it is sufficient to rotate around TCP, and as described later, the approach point AP and the departure point DP are automatically set. There are advantages such as being able to

FIG. 7 shows an example of TCP settings for the cap Cap1.
In the example of this embodiment, the TCP is automatically set to the center-of-gravity position of the object. Since the object is associated with the three-dimensional model data, the center-of-gravity position can be obtained relatively easily from the three-dimensional model data.
The approach point AP and the departure point DP are each located at a position 1.5 times the total length of the target (cap Cap1 in the example of FIG. 7) on the Z axis of the local coordinate system set on the target. automatically set when The position of 1.5 times the total length is merely an example, and may be set to any value between 1 and 2 times the total length as appropriate. In FIG. 7, work on the +Z-axis side (work such as removing or placing a cap by the hand 52) is assumed, and the local coordinate system is defined so that the work by the hand 52 is in the +Z direction. Thus, the approach point AP and departure point DP can be automatically determined.

When two or more objects are grouped, based on the approach point AP and departure point DP set for one of the two or more objects, the other of the two or more objects The object approach point AP and departure point DP may be automatically set.
For example, assume that pens Pen1 and Pen2 are grouped. The coordinates of TCP, which is the reference of work for pen Pen1, are set to (100, 100, 0) in the world coordinate system, and the coordinates of approach point AP and departure point DP of pen Pen1 are set to (100, 100, 20) in the world coordinate system. ) is assumed. At this time, if the TCP of the pen Pen2 is (120, 100, 0) in the world coordinate system, the coordinates of the approach point AP and the departure point DP of the pen Pen2 are (120, 100, 20) in the world coordinate system. Set automatically. That is, the approach point AP and departure point DP of the pen Pen2 are set so as to reflect the TCP offset amount (+20 on the X coordinate) of the pens Pen1 and Pen2. In other words, the approach point AP and the departure point DP of the pen Pen2 are set so that the approach point AP and the departure point DP of the pen Pen1 and the pen Pen2 have the same coordinates in the respective local coordinate systems of the pens Pen1 and Pen2 based on TCP. DP is set.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the motion of the hand 52 in the virtual space when picking up the cap Cap1 from the cap tray 12. As shown in FIG.
In FIG. 8, the hand 52 first moves along the trajectory TR1 so that the TCP1 set to the hand 52 (that is, the TCP of the hand set to the node 62 in FIG. 4) coincides with the approach point AP. . Next, the hand 52 moves along the trajectory TR2 such that the TCP1 set on the hand 52 matches the TCP2 set on the cap Cap1 of the cap tray 12 . After gripping the cap Cap1, the hand 52 moves along the trajectory TR3 such that the TCP1 set on the hand 52 coincides with the departure point DP.
The trajectories TR2 and TR3 are trajectories along the Z-axis of the local coordinate system set on the cap Cap1 of the cap tray 12. FIG. Therefore, when the hand 52 picks up the cap Cap1, the cap adjacent to the cap Cap1 in the cap tray 12 does not interfere. Also, the trajectory of the hand 52 is determined based on TCP1 set to the hand 52, TCP2 of the cap Cap1 in the cap tray 12, and its local coordinate system. Therefore, the hand 52 can accurately grip the cap Cap1.

When the TCP is set at a position other than the center of gravity of the object, the TCP can be set at a desired position of the object based on the operator's operation input.
FIG. 9 shows a method of setting TCP based on operator input.
As shown in FIG. 9, the CAD software provides a TCP model TCP_m with a local coordinate system LA to set the TCP. After the operator moves the TCP model to the desired position of the object (cap Cap1 in FIG. 9) and sets the position of TCP model TCP_m, the corresponding node in the hierarchical list (for example, Cap1 in FIG. node) to drag the TCP model TCP_m. Thereby, the TCP of the object (for example, Cap Cap1) can be set to the coordinates set on the CAD software.

Referring to FIG. 6 again, the teaching window W3 is provided with a button b1 (“detailed setting”). The operator can select any one of "approach point and departure point setting", "motion parameter setting", and "interlock setting" by operating the button b1 ("detailed setting").
By selecting "approach point, departure point setting", the operator can change or delete automatically created approach points and/or departure points, and add new approach points and/or departure points. .
A motion parameter is a parameter relating to the movement of the hand 52 of the robot R between adjacent approach points AP, between the approach point AP and the target point TP, and between the target point TP and the departure point DP included in the task. is. For example, such parameters include movement speed, acceleration, acceleration time, deceleration time, posture of the robot R, and the like. By selecting "set motion parameters", the above motion parameters can be changed from the default values.
By selecting "interlock setting", it is possible to change the timeout value of the interlock standby time and the setting of the operation when the standby time exceeds the timeout value and an error is determined from the default value.

A teaching window W3 in FIG. 6 is provided with a button b3 (“check”). It is not essential to operate the button b3 ("check") when creating a task, but by operating the button b3 ("check"), the operator can preliminarily check the departure point from the approach point AP included in the task. The movement of the robot R up to the point DP can be confirmed on the CAD window.
The button b3 ("check") is operated when the name of the task (Name) is displayed (that is, when data has been entered for each item of the work element type (Function) and the target (Target)). effective for

The operation confirmation result by operating the button b3 (“check”) is performed by transmitting a program created based on the task to the robot control device 3. FIG. The robot control device 3 executes the received program and, as a result of execution, calculates robot state data, which is information indicating the state of the robot R over time. The robot state data is, for example, information such as a change in the joint angle of the arm 51 over time and the trajectory of the hand 52 over time. This robot state data is returned from the robot control device 3 to the information processing device 2 . The CAD software operates the robot R and the three-dimensional model of the object in the virtual space based on the robot state data, and displays a moving image of the movement of the robot R corresponding to the task.

If an error occurs when calculating the robot state data of the robot R, the cause of the error may be displayed in the Status column of the teaching window W3 in FIG. Error causes include, for example, excessive speed, failure to reach a target point, and arrival at a singular point.
When the robot R operates normally, the margin for the movement speed set in the motion parameter, the margin for the target point, the margin for the singular point, etc. are displayed in the Status column. , may display information useful to the operator.

A teaching window W3 in FIG. 6 is provided with a button b2 (“create”).
By operating the button b2 (“Create”), the task set by the teaching window W3 is registered in the task list described later.
Note that if the operation of the button b3 (“check”) has not been confirmed before the button b2 (“create”) is operated, the button b3 (“check”) will not be operated. However, it is also possible to automatically check the operation and notify the presence or absence of an error.

(2-5) Creation of Program Based on Task As described above, when checking the operation for each task, a program is created based on the task. A task-based program is an example of a robot program for causing a robot R to execute a work element corresponding to the task.
For example, a program for executing work elements corresponding to the task shown in FIG. It is written by a program to let
Note that move (AP1) below may be defined separately as a move between work elements.

・move(AP1) … move to approach point AP1 ・interlock(IL1) …wait by interlock (IL1) at approach point AP1 ・move(AP2) … move to approach point AP2 ・interlock(IL2) … approach point AP2 Standby by interlock (IL2) at . ・move(TP)…Move to target point TP ・handSequence()…Hand sequence processing ・move(DP1)…Move to departure point DP1 ・move(DP2)…To departure point DP2 In the interlock(IL1) and interlock(IL2) functions, when checking the operation of each task, the program is created, but the timeout value for the waiting time due to interlock is invalid.

(2-6) Task List A task list is information of a list of multiple tasks corresponding to each of multiple work elements included in a job performed by the robot R. FIG. Tasks created by the teaching window W3 for a specific job are sequentially registered in the task list corresponding to the job. For job management, it is preferable that the order of the plurality of tasks included in the task list indicates the execution order of the plurality of work elements corresponding to the plurality of tasks.

The teaching window W4 in FIG. 10 displays an example of a task list corresponding to a job (“Pen Assembly”), which is a series of tasks “putting the cap on the pen and assembling the product”. An example of this task list includes tasks corresponding to the following six work elements (i) to (vi). In this case, a task with a name shown in parentheses is created by the teaching window W3 for task creation.
(i) Pickup Pen from Pen Tray (Pickup_Pen1_From_PenTray)
(ii) Place the picked pen in the jig (Place_to_PenJ_in_PenProduct)
(iii) Pick up cap from cap tray (Pickup_Cap1_From_CapTray)
(iv) Place Cap on Pen on Jig (Place_to_CapJ_in_PenJ)
(v) Pick up capped pen (Pickup_PenProduct_From_JIG)
(vi) Place capped pen in product tray (Place_to_PenProduct1_in_ProductTray)

In the task list shown in FIG. 10, the task for which the result of the operation check in the teaching window W3 indicates an error (referred to as "error task") and the tasks other than the error task in the task list are displayed in different display modes ( For example, it may be displayed in a display mode with different character colors and different background colors. "Tasks other than error tasks" include tasks that showed no error as a result of operation confirmation and tasks for which operation confirmation was not performed. An error task, an OK task (that is, a task showing no error as a result of the operation check), and a task for which the operation check has not yet been performed may be displayed in different modes.

If a task is created for two or more grouped objects, the grouped tasks may be displayed in the task list.

The operator can set the selected tasks in any order in the task list by performing a drag operation while selecting one of the tasks in the task list with the pointing device.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the operator selects any task in the task list with the pointing device and right-clicks, any one of "task edit", "task addition", and "task deletion" is executed. You can choose. Here, when "task edit" is selected, it is possible to return to the teaching window W3 of the selected task and change the information about the task. If "Add task" is selected, read and insert the created task immediately after the selected task, or return to the teaching window W3 to create and insert the task. can do. When "delete task" is selected, the selected task can be deleted from the task list.

In FIG. 10, when the operator right-clicks an arbitrary position within the teaching window W4, one of "teaching point list output", "IO map output", and "program output" is selected. can.
When "output teaching point list" is selected, a list of TCP coordinates set for each object is output.
When "output IO map" is selected, a list of input/output (I/O) ports for robot R is output.
When "program output" is selected, two types of robot programs, a simulation program and a real machine program, are output according to the job. The two are different in that the timeout value of the waiting time due to the interlock is valid in the program for the actual machine, but the waiting time due to the interlock is invalidated in the program for the simulation.

(2-7) Job Simulation When the button b4 is operated in the teaching window W4 of FIG. 10, a job simulation of the robot R corresponding to the task list is executed.
In executing a job simulation, first, a robot program corresponding to the job is created. That is, the program based on each task included in the task list is expressed as a collection of functions in which programs for executing a plurality of motions corresponding to the robot R are described, as described above. Note that the motion parameters (movement speed, acceleration, acceleration time, deceleration time, etc.) for the movement of the robot R between work elements corresponding to successive tasks may be predetermined as default values, or may be determined by the operator. You may enable it to set.
By sequentially combining programs based on each task, a robot program corresponding to the job is created. When combining programs based on each task, a branching process such as switching the program to be executed according to an input signal or condition, a process of repeating a specific program, or the like may be incorporated.

In this embodiment, the information processing device 2 creates a robot program, and the robot control device 3 executes the robot program.
The robot controller 3 calculates robot state data, which is information indicating the state of the robot R over time, as a result of executing the robot program. The robot state data is, for example, information such as a change in the joint angle of the arm 51 over time and the trajectory of the hand 52 over time. This robot state data is returned from the robot control device 3 to the information processing device 2 . The CAD software operates the robot R and the three-dimensional model of the target object in virtual space based on the robot state data, and displays a moving image (animation) of the movement of the robot R corresponding to the task as a simulation output.

If an error occurs when calculating the robot state data of the robot R, the cause of the error may be displayed in the Status column of the teaching window W4 in FIG. Error causes include, for example, excessive speed, failure to reach a target point, and arrival at a singular point.
In the task list shown in FIG. 10, the error task for which the simulation result indicates an error and the tasks other than the error task in the task list are displayed in different display modes (for example, different character colors and different background colors). ) may be displayed.
A teaching window W5 in FIG. 11 shows a display example of an error task in the task list in FIG. This display example shows that the task "Place_to_PenProduct1_in_ProductTray" at the end of the task list is an error task. The display mode is different from the task of

It should be noted that the simulation may be executed for work elements corresponding to some of the tasks selected by the operator from the task list.

(2-8) Area Check Next, the area check will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing transition of teaching windows according to an example of the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a hierarchical list in this embodiment.

The area check means that the hand 52 of the robot R (an example of a component of the robot) checks at least one object selected by the operator (in the example shown in FIG. 4, pens Pen1, Pen2, . . . , Pen12, cap Cap1, Cap2, . . . , Cap12, and at least one of the products PenProduct1, PenProduct2, . When a plurality of robots are provided, the operator may be allowed to select the robot to be the target of the area check among the plurality of robots. Since the robot can assume a plurality of postures, the area check of the robot may be performed in one of the postures selected by the operator.

In the hierarchical list shown in FIG. 4, select a part or all of the object, right-click on any of the nodes 61 to 63 in the robot area RA with the pointing device, and then select "area check". When selected, a teaching window W6 shown in FIG. 12 is displayed. In the teaching window W6, a posture for area check can be selected. Area check is executed by selecting at least one posture in the teaching window W6 and selecting the button b5 ("OK").

Performing an area check requires inverse kinematics calculations, which are performed in the robot controller 3 . That is, the information processing device 2 passes coordinate data based on the three-dimensional model of the robot R and each object and information on TCP coordinate data of each object to the robot control device 3 . If the robot control device 3 can obtain the joint angle of the arm 51 of the robot R with respect to a specific object by inverse kinematics based on the information, it can determine that the object is reachable.
As illustrated in FIG. 13, in the case of the area check for pens, the results of the area check are as follows: This is done by displaying a mark M2 ("NG"). Other display examples include displaying unreachable objects in a different color from reachable objects.

(3) Functions of Robot Teaching Apparatus 1 Next, functions of the robot teaching apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram of the robot teaching device 1 according to the embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 14, the robot teaching device 1 includes a display control unit 101, a task creation unit 102, a task update unit 103, a task replacement unit 104, a setting update unit 105, a grouping unit 106, a program creation unit 107, and a program execution unit. 108 , state information calculation unit 109 , simulation unit 110 , determination unit 111 , posture selection unit 112 , reference point setting unit 113 , model placement unit 114 , and interlock setting unit 115 .
The robot teaching device 1 further comprises a task database 221 , hierarchical list database 222 , three-dimensional model database 223 and execution log database 224 .

In the following description, when referring to the processing of the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2, the processing is performed by the CPU included in the control unit 21 executing teaching software and/or CAD software.

The display control unit 101 controls the display device 24 to display execution results of the teaching software and the CAD software. In order to realize the function of the display control unit 101 , the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 generates image data including outputs of teaching software and CAD software, buffers the image data, and transmits the image data to the display device 24 . The display device 24 drives the display drive circuit to display an image on the display panel.

The task creating unit 102 has a function of creating a task, which is information related to the work elements of the robot with respect to the object, based on the operation input by the operator.
In order to realize the function of the task creation unit 102, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 receives an operation input from the operator from the input device 23, and based on the operation input, determines the type of work element (Function) shown in FIG. and a task is created as a file containing target information of the work element and recorded in the storage 22 . The control unit 21 determines a task name according to a predetermined rule based on the type (Function) of the work element and the target (Target) of the work element. The storage 22 (example of first storage unit) stores a task database 221 including tasks created by the task creating unit 102 .
The control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 sequentially creates tasks corresponding to a plurality of work elements included in a job performed by the robot, thereby creating a task list of a plurality of tasks associated with the job. In the task database 221, each task is recorded in association with a specific job.
The display control unit 101 refers to the task database 221 of the storage 22 and displays a task list, which is a list of multiple tasks, on the display device 24 . By displaying the task list, it is possible to manage the jobs performed by the robot in an easy-to-understand manner when teaching the robot. In this embodiment, the name of each task in the displayed task list is configured so that the work content of the work element of the robot can be recognized, so that the operator can intuitively understand the series of work content. It's becoming

The task creation unit 102 generates a target point of the work element, an approach point (example of the first point) that is a passing point before reaching the target point, and a departure point (first point) that is a passing point after reaching the target point. A function may be provided to set information on at least one of the two points) in the task. In order to implement this function, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 determines the approach point and the departure point based on the TCP and local coordinate system of the target object (Target) of the work element. For example, on the Z-axis of the local coordinate system of the object, the position of a predetermined magnification of the entire length of the object is set as the approach point and the departure point. The control unit 21 updates the task database 221 so that the determined approach point and departure point information is included in the task.
By automatically setting the approach point and the departure point, the operator's teaching work becomes more efficient.

The display control unit 101 displays on the display device 24 hierarchical data in which the constituent elements of the robot and the constituent elements of the object are hierarchically described.
The control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 creates a hierarchical list through cooperation between teaching software and CAD software. That is, the control unit 21 accepts an operation input of dragging a robot and an object in the CAD image to a desired node in the tree-structured data format with the pointing device of the input device 23 selected. Create a list. The control unit 21 records the created hierarchical list in the hierarchical list database 222 of the storage 22 . In the hierarchical list, each node corresponding to the robot component and the object component in the tree structure data is associated with the corresponding data of the three-dimensional model recorded in the three-dimensional model database 223. It has become.

Preferably, the task creating unit 102 has a function of creating a task based on an operator's operation input specifying the robot component and the object component of the hierarchical data. In order to realize this function, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 selects a node indicating a robot hand corresponding to a task of gripping a specific object and a node corresponding to the object from a hierarchical list. Create a task based on the operational input of the selected operator. By using the hierarchical list, the operator can intuitively create tasks according to the contents of the work elements.

Preferably, as shown in FIG. 4, the display control unit 101 has a robot area RA (first area) for hierarchically displaying the components of the robot and a hierarchical display of the components of the object. The hierarchical list is displayed on the display device 24 by dividing it into an object area PA (second area) for the purpose.
By displaying the robot area and the object area separately, when creating a task, a node indicating a robot hand corresponding to a task of grasping a specific object and a node corresponding to the object can be selected. Sometimes it makes it easier to find the desired node.

The task update unit 103 deletes any task from the task list based on the operator's operation input to the task list displayed on the display device 24, and stores the deleted task in the storage 22 (example of the first storage unit). It has a function of adding a task contained in the existing task database 221 to the task list or changing the contents of any task in the task list.
In order to realize the function of the task updating unit 103, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 accesses the storage 22 based on the operator's operation input received by the input device 23, and updates the task list contained in the task database 221. rewrite. Since the operator can edit the contents of the job on a task-by-task basis, the teaching work becomes more efficient.

The order of the tasks included in the task list displayed on display device 24 may define the execution order of the plurality of tasks. In that case, the task replacement unit 104 replaces the order of the tasks included in the task list based on the operator's operation input for the task list displayed on the display device 24 .
In order to realize the function of the task replacement unit 104, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 accesses the storage 22 based on the operator's operation input received by the input device 23, and extracts the task list contained in the task database 221. Update order. Since the operator can change the execution order on a task-by-task basis, it is possible to optimize the robot's job and improve the efficiency of the teaching work.

The setting update unit 105 deletes, changes, or adds information about at least one of the approach point and the departure point set for the task by the task creation unit 102, based on the operator's operation input. It has functions.
In order to realize the function of the setting update unit 105, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 accesses the storage 22 based on the operator's operation input received by the input device 23 in the task creation window (see FIG. 6). and update the information on the approach point and departure point of the task contained in the task database 221 .
Since the setting update unit 105 allows the operator to delete, change, or add the approach point and departure point of the work element at a desired position, the robot can be taught to the operator's desired motion. In particular, in this embodiment, since the results of task execution can be played back using CAD software, the operator can delete, change, or add approach points and/or departure points after watching the playback results of the moving images. can be taught to optimize the robot's motion.

The grouping unit 106 has a function of grouping two or more objects based on an operation input by an operator who designates two or more objects from the hierarchical list displayed on the display device 24 . In that case, the task creation unit 102 generates information about at least one of the approach point and the departure point set for one of the two or more grouped objects. Also set for other objects of the object of .

In order to implement the function of the grouping unit 106, when the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 accepts an operator's operation input from the input device 23, two or more objects specified by the operation input are grouped together. Update the task database 221 to be associated. For example, when an approach point is set for one of the two or more grouped objects, the control unit 21 sets an approach point for another grouped object. The task database 221 is updated as follows. The setting of the approach point and the departure point of another grouped object is performed so as to reflect the TCP offset amount of two or more grouped objects, as described above.
By grouping two or more objects, it becomes easier to set approach points and/or departure points for a plurality of objects.

The program creation unit 107 has a function of creating a program, based on the task created by the task creation unit 102, for causing the robot 5 to execute a work element corresponding to the task.
In order to realize the function of the program creation unit 107, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 controls the types of work elements included in the task, targets of the work elements, approach points, departure points, motion parameters, and interlocks. Based on the settings, create a function in which a program is written to cause the robot to execute the work element corresponding to the task. For example, the program creation unit 107 refers to the information included in the task, and rewrites the coordinate positions and the like in a predetermined program format according to the work element type stored in the storage 22 (example of the first storage unit). automatically create a program.

The program execution unit 108 is generated by the program creation unit 107 based on at least one task selected from the task list displayed on the display device 24, based on the operator's operation input for selecting at least one task. It has a function to execute a robot program including a program.
To implement the function of the program execution unit 108 , the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 transmits a robot program created based on at least one task to the robot control device 3 via the communication interface unit 25 . In the robot control device 3, when the robot program is received by the communication interface section 33, the control section 31 executes the robot program. A program created based on each task consists of a set of functions. The control unit 31 sequentially executes a program created based on each task included in the task list.

The display control unit 101 displays an error task, which is a task whose execution result by the program execution unit 108 indicates an error in the task list, and a task other than the error task in the task list in different display modes.
As described above, the control unit 31 of the robot control device 3 executes the robot program by sequentially executing the program created based on each task included in the task list. Then, the control unit 31 records execution log data including execution results (success or error results, and error causes in the case of errors) for each task in the execution log database 224 . Error causes are, for example, excessive speed, failure to reach a target point, arrival at a singular point, and the like. Next, the control section 31 transmits the execution log data to the information processing device 2 via the communication interface section 33 . When the execution log data is acquired from the robot control device 3, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 displays the task list on the display device 24 so that the execution results included in the execution log data are reflected. Specifically, the task list is displayed so that the error task whose execution result indicates an error and the tasks other than the error task are displayed differently (for example, see FIG. 11). Therefore, the operator can immediately recognize the work element in which the error has occurred in the job, and can deal with the task approach point, departure point, or correction of the set values of the motion parameters.

The storage 22 (an example of a second storage unit and a third storage unit) stores a three-dimensional model database 223 including a three-dimensional model of the robot R in virtual space and information on three-dimensional models of objects.
The state information calculation unit 109 has a function of calculating robot state data (an example of state information), which is information indicating the state of the robot over time, based on the results of execution by the program execution unit 108 .
The simulation unit 110 has a function of operating a three-dimensional model in a virtual space and displaying it on the display device 24 based on the robot state data obtained by the state information calculation unit 109 .

In order to realize the functions of the state information calculation unit 109 and the simulation unit 110, the control unit 31 of the robot control device 3 sequentially executes the programs created based on each task as described above. The robot program received from the processing device 2 is executed. Then, the control unit 31 acquires robot state data for the entire job as a result of executing the robot program. The robot state data is data of physical quantities (for example, arm joint angles, arm speeds and accelerations, trajectories of various parts) that indicate the state of the robot over time. The control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 acquires execution log data including robot state data from the robot control device 3 and records it in the execution log database 224 . Furthermore, the control unit 21 operates the three-dimensional model of the robot and the object in the virtual space based on the execution log data and displays it on the display device 24 .
Therefore, since the operator can visually confirm the motion of the robot for each task, the set values of each task (for example, approach point, departure point, motion parameters, etc.) and the arrangement of objects (for example, FIG. 3 arrangement of the cap tray 12, etc.).

When any one component of the robot and at least one target object are selected in the hierarchical list based on the operation input by the operator, the determination unit 111 determines that the at least one target object is in the virtual space. is reachable by the hand 52 of the robot R (an example of a component of the robot). This function corresponds to the area check described above.
In order to realize the function of the determination unit 111 , the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 transmits, via the communication interface unit 25 , coordinate data based on the three-dimensional model of the robot and the object, and TCP coordinate data of the object. to the robot control device 3. Based on the received data, the control unit 31 of the robot control device 3 determines whether or not the joint angle of the arm of the robot can be calculated for a specific object by inverse kinematics. If the joint angle can be obtained, it means that the robot hand can reach the object, and if the joint angle cannot be obtained, it means that the robot hand cannot reach the object.
Since the determining unit 111 can determine whether or not the robot hand can reach a specific object before creating a robot program, it is possible to optimize the placement of the object, etc., and improve the efficiency of the teaching work. .

The display control unit 101 controls the display control unit 101 so that an unreachable object, which is an object determined by the determination unit 111 to be unreachable among a plurality of objects, can be distinguished from objects other than the unreachable object. Hierarchical data may be displayed.
In the area check, as shown in FIG. 13, it is preferable that an object (unreachable object) determined to be unreachable among the plurality of objects is identifiable from objects other than the unreachable object. Display a hierarchical list so that In FIG. 13, the unreachable object is displayed so that it can be identified by the presence or absence of the mark M2, but various identification methods can be used. For example, instead of the example of FIG. 13, display processing such as making the unreachable pen (Pen) red or lowering the brightness may be performed.

The attitude selection unit 112 has a function of selecting one of a plurality of attitudes predetermined for the robot based on the operator's operation input.
In that case, the determination unit 111 determines whether or not at least one target is reachable by the components of the robot, provided that the robot assumes the posture selected by the posture selection unit 112 . When the posture is selected, the controller 31 of the robot control device 3 adjusts the joint angle of the arm of the robot by inverse kinematics with respect to a specific object while fixing the robot in the selected posture. Determine whether it can be obtained.
By providing the posture selection unit 112, the operator can consider the placement of the target object in advance while considering various postures of the robot.

The reference point setting unit 113 calculates a TCP (an example of a reference point) in the virtual space, which serves as a reference for the work of the robot on the target object, based on the position of the three-dimensional model of the target object in the virtual space. with an object.
In order to realize the function of the reference point setting unit 113, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 sets the TCP of the object to be processed based on the data of the three-dimensional model of the object to be processed, and sets the TCP. Set the local coordinate system of the object as a reference. In this embodiment, since the teaching software and the CAD software are linked, the TCP of the object can be calculated automatically and accurately. The reference point setting unit 113 preferably calculates the center-of-gravity position of the object as TCP.
In this embodiment, the trajectory of the robot's hand is determined based on the TCP set for the hand corresponding to the task of gripping the object, the TCP of the object that is the target, and its local coordinate system. Therefore, manual work can be taught with high accuracy. Further, by calculating the center-of-gravity position of the object as the TCP, it is possible to specify as the TCP a position where it is easy to avoid interference with objects other than the object (other objects, equipment, etc.).

The model layout unit 114 has a function of arranging and displaying the three-dimensional model of the object, the TCP, and the local coordinate system of the three-dimensional model with the TCP as the origin in the virtual space. In order to realize the function of the model placement unit 114, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 associates the TCP and the data of the local coordinate system of the three-dimensional model with the TCP as the origin with each object. It is recorded in the 3D model database 223 of the storage 22 . The control unit 21 refers to the 3D model database 223 and displays the 3D model of the object, the TCP and the local coordinate system of the object on the display device 24 .
By displaying the three-dimensional model of the object, the TCP and the local coordinate system of the object, the operator can easily examine the positions of the approach point AP and the departure point DP on the CAD window.

As described in connection with FIG. 9, association of TCP to objects may be performed based on an operator's operation input instead of automatically.
That is, the display control unit 101 displays the three-dimensional model in the virtual space, and the reference point setting unit 113 associates a predetermined point in the virtual space with the object of the hierarchical data based on the operator's operation input. , the predetermined point may be associated with the object as a TCP. At this time, if the object is not associated with TCP, the reference point setting unit 113 may notify that the object is not associated with TCP.
In order to realize the function of the reference point setting unit 113, the input device 23 of the information processing device 2 sets the TCP model (see FIG. 9) to a predetermined point and corresponds to a specific object in the hierarchical list. Accepts operation input to drag to a node. The control unit 21 updates the three-dimensional model database 223 of the storage 22 so that the predetermined point is associated with the object as the TCP of the object.
When TCP is not associated with the object, the control unit 21 can prompt the operator to associate TCP with the object by outputting a warning display to the display device 24, for example.

The display control unit 101 may hierarchically display the TCP associated with the object in the layer below the object on the hierarchical data. In this case, when displaying the hierarchical list, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 reads the TCP associated with each object in the hierarchical list database 222, and puts the TCP under each object in the hierarchical list. Display TCP coordinates. This allows the operator to visually recognize the TCP coordinates of each object.

The interlock setting unit 115 has a function of setting a timeout value of a waiting time for the robot to wait at least one of the target point, the approach point, and the departure point set for the task, based on the operation input by the operator. Prepare.
In order to realize the function of the interlock setting unit 115, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 performs the The storage 22 is accessed to rewrite the timeout value of the interlock waiting time set at the specific approach point or departure point included in the tasks included in the task database 221 .
The interlock setting unit 115 allows the operator to easily set the timeout value of the waiting time due to the interlock for each work element when off-line teaching of the robot is performed.

Note that the simulation unit 110 may disable the waiting time due to the interlock and operate the three-dimensional model in the virtual space. In other words, when executing the simulation program, the three-dimensional model is operated without waiting due to an interlock. Thereby, the operator can check the execution result of the program by paying attention to the movement of the robot without stopping the robot in the virtual space.

(4) Main Processing of Robot Teaching Device 1 Next, main processing of the robot teaching device 1 will be described with reference to a sequence chart with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG.
FIG. 15 is an example of a sequence chart showing the area check process of the robot teaching device according to this embodiment. FIG. 16 is an example of a sequence chart showing job execution processing of the robot teaching device according to the present embodiment.

(4-1) Area check (Fig. 15)
First, the area check process will be described with reference to the sequence chart of FIG.
By right-clicking with the pointing device on a node corresponding to any object in the robot area RA of the hierarchical list shown in FIG. 4 and selecting "area check" (step S10: YES), the area Check execution begins.
First, when there is an operation input for selecting the posture of the robot R from the operator (step S12: YES), the posture selection unit 112 selects a plurality of predetermined postures for the robot R based on the operation input. Choose one of the postures.

Next, the determination unit 111 determines whether or not the object specified when “area check” is selected can be reached by the hand 52 of the robot R in the virtual space, and displays the reachability result on the display device 24 . Note that it is also possible to specify two or more objects and perform an area check. Specifically, the processing of the determination unit 111 is performed as follows.
The information processing device 2 transmits the coordinate data based on the three-dimensional model of the robot R and each object and the TCP coordinate data of each object to the robot control device 3 via the communication interface unit 25 (step S14). Based on the received data, the robot controller 3 calculates the joint angle of the arm 51 of the robot R by inverse kinematics for each specified object (step S16). The robot control device 3 determines whether the arm 51 can reach the target based on whether the joint angle of the arm 51 is obtained in step S16 (step S18). The processes of steps S16 and S18 are performed one by one for all postures of the robot R selected by the posture selection unit 112 . When the robot control device 3 has completed processing for all postures (step S20: YES), the robot control device 3 returns the area check result (reachability result) for each posture of the robot R to the information processing device 2 (step S22). ). The information processing device 2 displays the received area check result on the display device 24, for example, as shown in FIG. 13 (step S24).

(4-2) Execution of job simulation (Fig. 16)
Next, job simulation execution processing will be described with reference to the sequence chart of FIG.
When an operation input (simulation execution instruction) by the operator with respect to the button b4 in the teaching window W4 of FIG. 10 is received (step S30: YES), the program creating unit 107 creates a robot program for executing the job on the robot R. (step S32). This robot program includes a plurality of functions describing a program for causing the robot R to execute work elements corresponding to each task in the task list corresponding to the job.

The created robot program is transmitted from the information processing device 2 to the robot control device 3 (step S34) and executed in the robot control device 3. FIG. That is, the program execution unit 108 executes the robot program on a task-by-task basis (step S36). The state information calculation unit 109 calculates robot state data, which is information indicating the state of the robot R over time, based on the execution results of the program execution unit 108, and stores execution log data including the robot state data. 32 (step S38). The processing of steps S36 and S38 is performed until all tasks included in the task list are completed.
When the processing for all tasks is completed (step S40: YES), the robot control device 3 transmits the execution log data recorded in the storage 32 to the information processing device 2 (step S42). The information processing device 2 records the received execution log data in the execution log database 224 .
Next, the simulation unit 110 operates the three-dimensional model in the virtual space based on the robot state data included in the execution log data received in step S42 (that is, the robot state data obtained by the state information calculation unit 109). and display it on the display device 24 (step S44).

(5) Modification Next, a modification of the above-described embodiment will be described.
(5-1) Modification 1
In the area check described in the above-described embodiment, an example was given in which only whether or not the hand 52 of the robot R could reach the target was displayed (see FIG. 13). Offline teaching can be supported. For example, information about how close an object determined to be unreachable by the hand 52 of the robot R is to the hand 52 may be provided. This gives useful information, for example about the repositioning of the object.
In this modified example, the determining unit 111 specifies the degree of proximity of the hand 52 of the robot R to the unreachable object, which is an object determined to be unreachable by the hand 52 of the robot R (an example of a component of the robot). Then, the display control unit 101 displays such that the degree of proximity of the hand 52 of the robot R to the unreachable object can be recognized.
FIG. 17 shows a display example of the index indicating the degree of proximity of the hand 52 . As shown in FIG. 17, a mark M3 is displayed for the unreachable object. The mark M3 has a display format of "NG (*) (*: 1 to 5)", and the degree of proximity (for example, the smaller the number, the closer) can be seen from the numbers in parentheses. ing. The degree of proximity can be calculated from the difference value between the obtained joint angle of the arm 51 and the limit angle of the joint angle.

(5-2) Modification 2
In Modified Example 2, information is provided as to how much room the hand 52 of the robot R has for an object determined to be reachable by the hand 52 . Providing such information can also assist offline teaching. Useful information is obtained, for example, about the repositioning of the object.
In this modified example, the determination unit 111 identifies the reachability of the hand 52 of the robot R with respect to the reachable object, which is the object determined to be reachable by the hand 52 of the robot R, and the display control unit 101 The margin of reach of the hand 52 of the robot R to the reachable object is displayed so as to be recognizable. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, a mark M4 is displayed for reachable objects. The mark M4 has a display format of "OK (*) (*: 1 to 5)", and the number in parentheses indicates the degree of margin (for example, the larger the number, the more margin). .
The margin can be calculated from the difference value between the obtained joint angle of the arm 51 and the limit angle of the joint angle.

(5-3) Modification 3
The determination unit 111 may determine whether or not each of the plurality of objects can be reached by the hand 52 of the robot R when one of the robots is selected based on the operation input by the operator. .
In other words, based on the operation input for selecting the robot R in the hierarchical list, it may be determined whether or not all objects can be reached. This saves the operator the trouble of selecting an object to be checked. In addition, determining the reachability of all objects provides useful information for considering the overall arrangement of all objects.

(5-4) Modification 4
The program creation unit 107 may create a program so as to determine an error when the waiting time due to the interlock reaches the timeout value.
When the waiting time due to the interlock reaches the timeout value when the robot program is executed, it is judged as an error, so that the operator can recognize, for example, that there is a problem with the input/output signal to the robot R. .

(5-5) Modification 5
The program creation unit 107 may create a program so that the robot R is brought to a predetermined reference posture when it is determined that an error has occurred due to an interlock timeout.
When it is determined that an error has occurred as shown in Modification 4, it is preferable to stop the motion of the robot R and return it to the reference posture (for example, the initial posture) rather than performing the motion after the error has occurred. Sometimes.

(5-6) Modification 6
When the program creation unit 107 determines that an error has occurred due to an interlock timeout, the program creation unit 107 refers to the task database 221 in the storage 22 (example of the first storage unit) and selects one of a plurality of tasks based on the operator's operation input. A program may be created to cause the robot R to perform a work element corresponding to any task.
If an error is determined as shown in Modified Example 4, the robot R may be caused to execute a specific work element. An example of a specific work element is placing the currently grasped object on the error shelf.

Although the embodiments of the robot teaching device of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Also, the above embodiments can be modified and modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, the robot teaching device according to the above-described embodiment does not need to have all the functions described in the functional block diagram of FIG. 14, and may have at least some of the functions.
In the above-described embodiment, the robot teaching device includes two devices, namely, the information processing device and the robot control device.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the pointing device is included in the input device of the information processing apparatus has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this and other devices may be used. For example, a display panel with a touch input function may be used to receive touch input from the operator.

According to the above description, a program for causing a computer to implement at least some of the functions described in the functional block diagram of FIG. 14, and a computer-readable storage medium (non-volatile storage medium ) are disclosed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Robot teaching apparatus 2... Information processing apparatus 21... Control part 22... Storage 23... Input device 24... Display device 25... Communication interface part 3... Robot control apparatus 31... Control part 32... Storage 33 Communication interface unit 11 Pen tray P Pen group 12 Cap tray C Cap group 13 Jig 14 Product tray A1 to A12 Product EC Communication network cable R ... robot 51 ... arm 52 ... hand 61 to 68 ... node 101 ... display control section 102 ... task creation section 103 ... task update section 104 ... task replacement section 105 ... setting update section 106 ... grouping Section 107 Program creation section 108 Program execution section 109 State information calculation section 110 Simulation section 111 Determination section 112 Attitude selection section 113 Reference point setting section 114 Model placement section 115 Interlock setting unit 221 Task database 222 Hierarchical list database 223 Three-dimensional model database 224 Execution log database RA Robot area PA Target object area W1 to W6 Window b1 ~b4...Button, AP...Approach point, TP...Target point, DP...Departure point, T...Table

Claims (13)

a task creation unit that creates a task, which is information about the work elements of the robot with respect to the object, based on the operator's operation input;
a first storage unit that stores the task created by the task creating unit;
a display control unit that refers to the first storage unit and displays a task list, which is a list of a plurality of tasks, on a display device;
with
The display control unit displays hierarchical data in which components of the robot and components of the object are hierarchically described on the display device,
The task creation unit creates the task based on an operator's operation input specifying the component of the robot and the component of the object in the hierarchical data,
registering the robot or the object selected in the CAD window in the hierarchical data based on an operation input by an operator ;
In the hierarchical data, when any one component of the robot and at least one target object are selected based on the operation input by the operator, the selected component of the robot is selected in the virtual space. a determination unit that determines whether the target object can be reached;
further comprising
When the determination unit determines that the target part is reachable, specifying the degree of margin of arrival of the selected robot component to the target part determined to be reachable,
A robot teaching device that displays the specified margin for the selected object . a program creation unit that creates, based on the task created by the task creation unit, a program for causing the robot to execute a work element corresponding to the task;
The robot teaching device according to claim 1 Deleting any task from the task list and adding the task stored in the first storage unit to the task list based on an operator's operation input to the task list displayed on the display device Or, further comprising a task update unit that changes the contents of any task in the task list,
The robot teaching device according to any one of claims 1 and 2. the order of the tasks included in the task list displayed on the display device defines the execution order of the plurality of tasks;
The robot teaching device is
a task replacement unit that changes the order of the tasks included in the task list based on an operator's operation input for the task list displayed on the display device;
A robot teaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The task creation unit selects at least a target point of the work element, a first point that is a passing point before reaching the target point, and a second point that is a passing point after reaching the target point. setting information about any point to the task;
The robot teaching device according to claim 1. Settings for deleting, changing, or adding information about at least one of the first point and the second point set in the task by the task creation unit, based on an operation input by an operator. further comprising an updating unit,
The robot teaching device according to claim 5. a grouping unit that groups the two or more objects based on an operator's operation input specifying two or more objects from the hierarchical data displayed on the display device;
The task creation unit generates information about at least one of the first point and the second point set for one of the two or more grouped objects, Also set for other objects of two or more objects,
The robot teaching device according to claim 5. The display control unit divides the hierarchical data into a first area for hierarchically displaying the constituent elements of the robot and a second area for hierarchically displaying the constituent elements of the object. is displayed on the display device;
The robot teaching device according to claim 1. A robot including a program created by the program creating unit based on the selected at least one task based on an operator's operation input for selecting at least one task from the task list displayed on the display device. further comprising a program execution unit that executes a program,
The robot teaching device according to claim 2. The display control unit displays an error task, which is a task whose execution result by the program execution unit indicates an error in the task list, and a task other than the error task in the task list in different display modes.
The robot teaching device according to claim 9. a second storage unit that stores information of the three-dimensional model of the robot in virtual space;
a state information calculation unit that calculates state information, which is information indicating the state of the robot over time, based on the result of execution by the program execution unit;
a simulation unit that operates the three-dimensional model in a virtual space and displays it on the display device based on the state information obtained by the state information calculation unit;
further comprising
The robot teaching device according to claim 9 or 10. a third storage unit that stores information of the three-dimensional model of the object in the virtual space;
a reference point setting unit that associates with the object a reference point that serves as a reference for work performed by the robot on the object,
The reference point setting unit calculates the reference point based on the position in the virtual space of the three-dimensional model of the object displayed on the hierarchical data.
A robot teaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. An interlock that sets a timeout value of a waiting time for the robot to wait at at least one of the target point, the first point, and the second point set for the task, based on an operator's operation input. further comprising a setting unit,
A robot teaching device according to claim 5 or 6.

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