Robot information processing system

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ROBOT INFORMATION PROCESSING
SYSTEM

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 5

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an information processing system for a robot simulation and the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art 10 There has already been well known a system for displaying an operation of a robot according to an operating program taught to the robot on a display device as information of an animation or the like and simulating the operation

of the robot so as to examine and confirm the taught 15 operating program. However, the information of an operating animation or the like along with this simulation has been displayed on a screen of a display section of an information processing device such as a personal computer (referred to as PC, hereinafter) connected to a robot controller. 20

Generally, the taught operating program is simulated, the operating animation is displayed, and the operating program is examined, confirmed and further modified immediately after this operating program is taught. Teaching and modification of the operating program are performed by operating 25 a teaching pendant (teaching operation panel), on the other hand, examining and confirming of the taught contents are performed with a PC, which are inconvenient in teaching, examining, confirming, and modifying the operating program so that there is a problem of being time consuming. 30

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE
INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a robot 3J information processing system capable of displaying information stored in a PC on a teaching pendant and operating the information from the teaching pendant.

A robot information processing system according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a robot controller 40 comprising a teaching pendant and an information processing device provided separately from the robot controller, wherein the information processing device comprises means for directly or indirectly (for example, via the robot controller) sending information stored in the information 45 processing device to the teaching pendant, and the teaching pendant comprises means for displaying the information on a display section of the teaching pendant on the basis of the information.

A robot information processing system according to a 50 second aspect of the present invention comprises a robot controller comprising a teaching pendant and an information processing device provided separately from the robot controller, wherein the information processing device generates display information for displaying a robot operation in 55 a form of animation on the basis of operating position information of a robot sent from the robot controller. Further, the generated display information is directly or indirectly (for example, via the robot controller) sent from the information processing device to the teaching pendant to go be displayed in a form of animation on a display section of the teaching pendant.

Accordingly, the teaching pendant displays part of or all the display information sent from the information processing device on the display section. Further, there is provided 65 means for operating a robot simulation performed by the information processing device from the teaching pendant so

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that the robot simulation can be operated also from the teaching pendant. Furthermore, there is provided operating means for operating for various information for a display stored in the information processing device also from the teaching pendant. The means for operating for various information for this display displays a guidance for information modifying for the display on a display section of the teaching pendant.

Further, in the teaching pendant or the information processing device, there is provided means for selecting either one or both a first operating mode for sending operating position information from the robot controller to a robot main body to cause the robot to operate, and a second operating mode for sending the operating position information from the robot controller to the information processing device to generate display information for displaying a robot operation in a form of animation.

Further, the robot information processing system is configured such that, when the second operating mode is selected, immediately before the robot controller sends first operating position information to the information processing device, information representing the state of the robot controller at that time is sent to the information processing device to be stored in storage means of the information processing device, and, after the animation display in the second operating mode is terminated, the information processing device sends back the information to the robot controller so that the robot controller can be returned back to the state immediately before the first operating position information is sent.

According to the present invention, since the operating program is simulated so that the operating animation of the robot on the basis of the operating program can be displayed also on the teaching pendant, the operating program can be efficiently taught and modified.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an operation processing algorism according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an operation processing algorism of a robot controller and a teaching pendant according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an operation processing algorism of a personal computer according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. Robot mechanism sections of a robot main body 4 are connected to a robot controller 1. The robot controller 1 controls the robot main body 4 and drives each mechanism section such as an arm or the like of the robot to cause the robot to operate. The above aspects are not different from those in a conventional robot.

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Further, to this robot controller 1 are connected a teaching pendant 2 and a PC 3 as an information processing device via a cable 5. This connection is conducted via an Ethernet cable or a RS-422 cable. When this cable 5 is configured with the Ethernet cable, information can be directly exchanged between the teaching pendant 2 and the PC 3, on the other hand, when the cable 5 is configured with the RS-422 cable, information is indirectly exchanged between the teaching pendant 2 and the PC 3 via the robot controller 1. In addition, when a plurality of PCs are connected to the robot controller 1, a target PC for acquiring information may be selected in the teaching pendant 2.

The teaching pendant 2 comprises a display section 2a which is configured with a liquid crystal or the like, and an operating section 2b which is configured with software keys, keys for inputting various instructions, or the like. In association with the present invention, in this operating section 2b, there are particularly provided (1) a key for instructing to activate and stop an operating simulation, (2) an operating mode switch for selecting whether or not to instruct an instruction value of the robot for driving the robot main body to either one of or both a servo section for driving and controlling a servo motor of each shaft and the PC 3, (3) a display condition modifying instruction key for setting and modifying display condition data of an animation stored in the PC 3, and (4) a display operating mode changeover switch for enabling to perform an operation for the operating simulation in either one of or both this teaching pendant 2 and the PC 3.

The PC 3 comprises a display section 3a and an operating section 3b such as a keyboard or the like. In association with the present invention, in the operating section 3b, there are particularly provided (1) a key for instructing to activate and stop the operating simulation, (2) an operating mode switch for selecting whether or not to instruct the instruction value of the robot to either one or both the servo section for driving the robot main body 4 and the PC 3, and (3) a display operating mode changeover switch for selecting an operation concerning the animation, and the like.

Further, the PC 3 may be stored inside a cabinet of the robot controller 1.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a software configuration of the robot controller 1, the teaching pendant 2 and the PC 3 according to the present invention.

The robot controller 1 is configured with a communication interface, a motion section for creating operating position information of the robot on the basis of a software for a program execution processing and an execution of the program, a servo section for driving and controlling the servo motor of each shaft or the like of the robot mechanism section 4 on the basis of the operating position information from the motion section, a servo delay model for acquiring the operating position information for the animation in which a servo delay system is compensated, a teaching pendant (TP) interface, an editor, and the like.

Further, the teaching pendant 2 comprises a user interface program, a user interface emulator, a browser software, and the like.

The PC 3 comprises a communication interface, a graphic animation, a teaching pendant (TP) emulation, and the like.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which the robot controller 1, the teaching pendant 2 and the PC 3 are connected via the Ethernet cable 5.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart which shows a processing which is performed when an operating mode selecting switch provided in the teaching pendant 2 or the PC 3 is selected to a

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mode for issuing an instruction of the robot to the PC 3 or both the PC 3 and the servo section, showing a processing for displaying in a form of animation to simulate the operation of the robot in the operating program on the

5 display section 2a of the teaching pendant 2. The processings from step 101 to step 112 in this flow chart are the processings in the robot controller 1 and the teaching pendant 2, and the processings from step 201 to step 209 show the processings in the PC 3.

1° At first, the processings in the robot controller 1 and the teaching pendant 2 will be explained.

A display region of the animation and a time interval of the animation in the display section 2a of the teaching pendant 2 which have been inputted and stored in advance

15 are set (step 101). Then, the operating section 3b of the PC 3 is operated, a determination is made on whether or not a communication starting instruction has been inputted to be sent, or the communication starting instruction has been inputted according to the operation of the operating section

20 2b of the teaching pendant 2 (step 102). Until this communication starting instruction is inputted, the following processings are not performed. When this communication starting instruction is inputted, a communication with the PC 3 is started (step 103), and a determination is made on whether

25 or not an operation starting instruction has been inputted from the PC 3 or the teaching pendant 2 (step 104). In the case where the display operating mode changeover switch provided in the teaching pendant 2 or the PC 3 has been switched to enable an operation of the simulation in either

30 one of the teaching pendant 2 and the PC 3, this operation starting instruction can be inputted only from the selected teaching pendant 2 or PC 3.

When the operation starting instruction is inputted, the

35 execution of the robot operating program is started (step 105), a position and posture of the robot at the current time are calculated on the basis of the robot operating program and the servo delay model (step 106), and the calculated robot position and posture data (that is, operating position

4Q information) is sent to the PC 3 via the cable 5 (step 107). When the operating mode switch is selected to instruct the operating position information to both the PC 3 and the servo section, the operating position information which is acquired by analyzing the operating program is output also

,„ to the servo section, and the servo motor of each shaft of the

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robot main body 4 is driven to cause the robot to operate.

On the other hand, after the current position and posture information is sent to the PC 3, as described later, a determination is made on whether or not display information

50 of the animation created with a graphic animation software of the PC 3 has reached (step 108). When the display information of the animation has not reached, a process proceeds to step 110. When this display information has reached, an animation image is displayed on the display

55 section 2a of the teaching pendant 2 according to this display information (step 109). This animation image is displayed on the display region which is set in step 101. However, an animation image outside this display region is not displayed, in some cases, only part of animation image is displayed.

go Further, of course, all the animation image may be displayed.

After the animation image is displayed on the display section 2a of the teaching pendant 2, a determination is made on whether or not an execution cancel instruction has 65 been inputted (step 110). When the execution cancel instruction has not been inputted, a determination is further made on whether or not the operating program has been termi