JP2016124075A - Laser irradiation control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that a robot using a laser sensor may irradiate a person with a laser beam.SOLUTION: A laser irradiation control device 2 for controlling a laser sensor 3a of a robot 3 is provided with an acquisition part 23 for acquiring a laser irradiation direction; a range information storage part 24 in which range information relating to permission/inhibition of laser irradiation is stored; a determination part 25 which determines propriety of the laser irradiation by using the range information and the laser irradiation direction; and a laser irradiation control part 26 which controls laser irradiation by the laser sensor in response to a laser irradiation request. The laser irradiation control part 26 controls so that the laser irradiation is not carried out by the laser sensor in response to the laser irradiation request when it is determined that the laser irradiation is inadequate. As a result, the laser irradiation is carried out only in an adequate direction depending on the range information, and the laser irradiation is not carried out to a person.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser irradiation control device that controls a laser sensor included in a robot.

  Conventionally, in an arc welding robot, a laser sensor has been used in order to correct the displacement of the welding position due to workpiece variation, jig accuracy, and the like. Since the laser beam of the laser sensor used is powerful, there has been a demand for avoiding human viewing of the laser beam. Therefore, for example, the distance between the laser sensor and the measurement object is measured by the distance measuring means, and it is determined whether or not the distance is within the measurable distance of the laser sensor. There is known a device that prevents an operator from being exposed by automatically stopping laser irradiation according to (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-5-157510

  However, in the laser sensor described in Patent Document 1, laser irradiation is performed if the distance between the laser sensor and the measurement target is within a set range. In contrast, there is a problem that laser irradiation may be performed.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a laser irradiation control device that can control a laser sensor of a robot so as to increase safety.

In order to achieve the above object, a laser irradiation control apparatus according to the present invention is a laser irradiation control apparatus that controls a laser sensor included in a robot, and relates to an acquisition unit that acquires a laser irradiation direction by the laser sensor and whether laser irradiation is permitted or not. A range information storage unit that stores range information that is range information, a range information, a determination unit that determines the suitability of laser irradiation using the laser irradiation direction acquired by the acquisition unit, and a laser irradiation request A laser irradiation control unit that controls laser irradiation by the laser sensor, and the laser irradiation control unit uses the laser sensor according to the laser irradiation request when the determination unit determines that the laser irradiation is inappropriate. Control is performed so that laser irradiation is not performed.
With such a configuration, the laser irradiation direction can be limited by the range information, and safer laser irradiation can be realized. For example, if the range information is set so that laser irradiation is performed only in the downward direction, the upward laser irradiation is not performed, and the possibility of laser light being irradiated to the human eye is reduced. Can do. This is because it is considered that the laser beam is usually irradiated to the human eye when the upward laser irradiation is performed.

The laser irradiation control apparatus according to the present invention is a laser irradiation control apparatus that controls a laser sensor included in a robot, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires a position of the laser sensor and range information that is information on a range regarding whether laser irradiation is permitted or not. Is stored in the range information storage unit, the range information, and the position of the laser sensor acquired by the acquisition unit, a determination unit that determines the suitability of the laser irradiation, and the laser irradiation by the laser sensor in response to the laser irradiation request A laser irradiation control unit that controls the laser irradiation, and the laser irradiation control unit does not perform laser irradiation by the laser sensor according to the laser irradiation request when the determination unit determines that the laser irradiation is inappropriate It is something to control.
With such a configuration, the laser irradiation direction can be limited by the range information, and safer laser irradiation can be realized. For example, if laser irradiation by a laser sensor existing at a position where laser irradiation is unnecessary is limited by range information, unnecessary laser irradiation can be prevented from being performed, and as a result, safety can be improved. Can be increased.

The laser irradiation control apparatus according to the present invention further includes each axis position acquisition unit that acquires the position of each axis of the robot, and the acquisition unit acquires the position of each axis acquired by each axis position acquisition unit. May be performed.
With such a configuration, the laser irradiation direction and the position of the laser sensor can be acquired using the position of each axis, so that it is not necessary to separately provide a sensor or the like for the acquisition. Therefore, laser irradiation control can be realized with a simpler configuration.

The laser irradiation control apparatus according to the present invention further includes a positional relationship information storage unit that stores positional relationship information that is information indicating the positional relationship of the laser sensor with respect to the robot, and the acquisition unit also uses the positional relationship information. Acquisition may be performed.
With such a configuration, the laser irradiation direction and the position of the laser sensor can be calculated from the position of each axis using the positional relationship information.

Further, in the laser irradiation control device according to the present invention, the range information has an allowable range that is an allowable range of laser irradiation, and the determination unit, when the acquisition result by the acquisition unit is included in the allowable range, It may be determined that laser irradiation is appropriate.
With such a configuration, for example, by allowing only downward laser irradiation according to an allowable range, control can be performed so that upward laser irradiation is not performed.

Further, in the laser irradiation control device according to the present invention, the range information has a prohibited range that is a range in which laser irradiation is prohibited, and the determination unit, when the acquisition result by the acquisition unit is included in the prohibited range, It may be determined that laser irradiation is inappropriate.
With such a configuration, for example, by prohibiting upward laser irradiation according to the prohibited range, it is possible to control so that upward laser irradiation is not performed.

Further, in the laser irradiation control apparatus according to the present invention, when the laser irradiation control unit is controlled so as not to perform laser irradiation according to the laser irradiation request, an output indicating that laser irradiation is inappropriate is performed. An output unit may be further provided.
With such a configuration, for example, it is possible to notify an operator or the like that the laser irradiation according to the teaching information or the like is inappropriate and thus the laser irradiation is not performed. Depending on the output, for example, the teaching information may be corrected.

  According to the laser irradiation control apparatus according to the present invention, by appropriately setting the range information, it becomes possible to control the laser irradiation so as to increase safety.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the laser irradiation control apparatus by embodiment of this invention The flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the laser irradiation control apparatus by the embodiment The flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the laser irradiation control apparatus by the embodiment

  Hereinafter, a laser irradiation control apparatus according to the present invention will be described using embodiments. In the following embodiments, components and steps denoted by the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and repetitive description may be omitted. A laser irradiation control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention controls a laser sensor included in a robot so that laser irradiation is not performed when laser irradiation is not appropriate.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a robot system according to the present embodiment. The robot system according to the present embodiment includes a robot control device 1, a robot 3 having a laser sensor 3a, a welding torch 3b, and a wire feeding unit 3c, a welding power source 4, and a teach pendant 5.

  The robot control device 1 controls a teaching information storage unit 11 that stores teaching information, a control unit 12 that controls the robot 3 and the welding power source 4, and a laser sensor 3 a that the robot 3 has, using the teaching information. And a laser irradiation control device 2. The laser irradiation control device 2 includes each axis position acquisition unit 21, a positional relationship information storage unit 22, an acquisition unit 23, a range information storage unit 24, a determination unit 25, a laser irradiation control unit 26, and an output unit 27. With.

  The robot 3 has a plurality of arms connected by joints driven by a drive motor via a speed reducer. The drive motor may include an encoder, and the current position of the drive motor may be detected by the encoder. A welding torch 3 b that performs arc welding on the base material 8 is attached to the tip of the robot 3. Then, the welding wire is fed from the wire feeding unit 3c, and an arc is generated by applying a high voltage between the welding wire at the tip of the welding torch 3b and the base material 8 by the welding power source 4, and the arc is generated. When the welding wire and the base material 8 are melted by the heat of the arc, welding to the base material 8 is performed. Further, the positional relationship between the welding torch 3b and the base material 8 may be corrected by the laser sensor 3a. That is, the robot 3 may be a welding robot that performs copying using the laser sensor 3a. The configuration of the robot 3 is already known, and detailed description thereof is omitted. In arc welding, shield gas is generally ejected from the welding torch 3b, but the description of the configuration is omitted. Further, the laser sensor 3a may be a sensor that measures a distance to a measurement target by, for example, laser emission and light reception. The laser beam may be scanned by a mirror, for example, or may be a line laser beam. The configuration of the laser sensor 3a and position correction (for example, scanning correction) using the laser sensor 3a are already known and will not be described in detail.

  The welding power source 4 includes a power source for supplying a high voltage used in welding to the welding torch 3b and the base material 8, a wire feeding control unit that controls feeding of the welding wire by the wire feeding unit 3c, and the robot control device 1. According to the received welding conditions, the welding control part etc. which control the power supply are provided. Further, the welding power source 4 may acquire data such as a welding current, a welding voltage, a shield gas flow rate, and a wire feeding speed and transmit the data to the robot control device 1. In addition, the structure of the welding power source 4 is already well-known, The detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The teach pendant 5 is a portable operation device used when an operator or the like inputs teaching information, inputs positional relationship information or range information described later, or inputs an operation of the robot 3. The operation of the robot 3 input by the teach pendant 5 may be, for example, an operation of the position and posture of the hand of the robot 3. Further, the operation may be, for example, displacement of the position of the hand of the robot 3, displacement of the posture of the hand, or other operations. Further, a laser irradiation request for requesting laser irradiation may be input to the robot control device 1 via the teach pendant 5. The teach pendant 5 may receive information from the robot control device 1 and display it on a display or the like.

  The teaching information storage unit 11 stores teaching information. The teaching information may include, for example, a position or orientation command related to the tip of the robot 3 (welding torch 3b). Further, the teaching information may include welding conditions. Further, in order to perform laser irradiation at a position where sensing using the laser sensor 3a is performed, an instruction regarding laser irradiation may be included in the teaching information. In addition, the process in which teaching information is memorize | stored in the teaching information storage part 11 is not ask | required. For example, teaching information may be stored in the teaching information storage unit 11 via a recording medium, and teaching information transmitted via a communication line or the like is stored in the teaching information storage unit 11. Alternatively, the teaching information input via the input device may be stored in the teaching information storage unit 11. For example, teaching information may be input via the teach pendant 5. Storage in the teaching information storage unit 11 may be temporary storage in a RAM or the like, or may be long-term storage. The teaching information storage unit 11 can be realized by a predetermined recording medium (for example, a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk).

  The control unit 12 controls the robot 3 and the welding power source 4 in accordance with the teaching information or in response to an operation signal input from the teach pendant 5. When controlling the robot 3, the controller 12 interpolates the position and orientation of the robot 3 indicated by the teaching information, and converts the interpolated position and orientation to the position of each drive motor by inverse kinematics calculation. May be used. Further, the control unit 12 calculates the position of each drive motor from the result of performing the correction following the interpolated position and posture of the robot 3 using the target position and target posture detected by the laser sensor 3a. Also good. Further, the control unit 12 may control the robot 3 using the current position of the drive motor received from the encoder of each axis of the robot 3. By the control, the welding torch 3b of the robot 3 is moved to a desired position. In the control, the control unit 12 may control the robot 3 via a servo controller. Further, the control unit 12 controls the start and end of welding by the welding power source, the welding voltage, the welding current, the shield gas flow rate, the start and end of feeding of the welding wire, etc. according to the welding conditions included in the teaching information. To do. Further, when the teaching information includes an instruction regarding laser irradiation, the control unit 12 may pass a laser irradiation request to the laser irradiation control unit 26 in accordance with the instruction.

  Each axis position acquisition unit 21 acquires the position of each axis of the robot 3. The position of each axis of the robot 3 is the position (angle) of each drive motor of the robot 3. Each axis position acquisition unit 21 may acquire the position of each axis acquired by the encoder of the robot 3, for example, and the position of each axis according to the teaching information stored in the teaching information storage unit 11 Or the position of each axis according to the teaching information after the scanning correction may be acquired. In the present embodiment, the case where each axis position acquisition unit 21 acquires the position of each axis of the robot 3 from the control unit 12 will be described, but this need not be the case. In the latter case, for example, each axis position acquisition unit 21 may acquire the value of the encoder directly from the encoder of the robot 3, and the position of each axis according to the teaching information or the teaching information after the copying correction The position of each axis may be calculated according to

  The positional relationship information storage unit 22 stores positional relationship information, which is information indicating the positional relationship of the laser sensor 3 a with respect to the robot 3. It is preferable that the relative positional relationship of the laser sensor 3a with respect to the robot 3 can be known by using the positional relationship information. As a result, it is preferable that the laser irradiation direction by the laser sensor 3a can be acquired by using the position of each axis acquired by each axis position acquisition unit 21 and the positional relationship information. The positional relationship information may indicate, for example, the mounting position of the laser sensor 3a with respect to the robot 3, may indicate the mounting angle (posture) of the laser sensor 3a with respect to the robot 3, or Both may be shown. In the present embodiment, the case where the attachment position and angle of the laser sensor 3a with respect to the robot 3 are indicated by the positional relationship information will be mainly described. The positional relationship information may indicate a difference with respect to a certain direction or position of the robot 3 (for example, the direction or position of the hand, the direction or position of the welding torch 3b).

  The process in which the positional relationship information is stored in the positional relationship information storage unit 22 does not matter. For example, the positional relationship information may be stored in the positional relationship information storage unit 22 via a recording medium, and the positional relationship information transmitted via a communication line or the like is stored in the positional relationship information storage unit 22. Alternatively, the positional relationship information input via the input device may be stored in the positional relationship information storage unit 22. For example, positional relationship information may be input via the teach pendant 5. The storage in the positional relationship information storage unit 22 may be temporary storage in a RAM or the like, or may be long-term storage. The positional relationship information storage unit 22 can be realized by a predetermined recording medium (for example, a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk).

  The acquisition part 23 acquires the laser irradiation direction by the laser sensor 3a. The acquisition unit 23 performs acquisition using the position of each axis acquired by each axis position acquisition unit 21 and the positional relationship information stored in the positional relationship information storage unit 22. The acquisition unit 23 calculates, for example, the direction of the location of the robot 3 provided with the laser sensor 3a using the positional relationship information and the position of each axis, and the relative direction of the laser sensor 3a with respect to that direction. May be used to calculate the laser irradiation direction. In addition, when the laser sensor 3a moves while performing continuous laser irradiation, or when the direction of laser irradiation can be changed by using a mirror or the like, the acquisition unit 23 considers that and also performs laser irradiation. You may acquire the range of the direction in which irradiation may be performed.

  The range information storage unit 24 stores range information, which is range information regarding whether laser irradiation is permitted or not. The range information may include an allowable range in which laser irradiation is allowed, or may include a prohibited range in which laser irradiation is prohibited. Note that the allowable range and the prohibited range are ranges related to the direction of laser irradiation.

  The allowable range is a range indicating a laser irradiation direction in which laser irradiation is permitted, and may include, for example, an allowable direction of laser irradiation and an allowable angle. In that case, laser irradiation is permitted in a direction within an allowable angle with respect to the allowable direction. In other words, when the angle between the laser irradiation direction and the permission direction is within an allowable angle, laser irradiation in the laser irradiation direction is permitted. The allowable direction may be, for example, a downward direction in the direction of gravity, or may be another direction. The allowable range may include an angle range in which laser irradiation is permitted in a polar coordinate system, a cylindrical coordinate system, or the like. For example, the allowable range may include an azimuth angle range in which laser irradiation is permitted and an elevation angle range. The permission range may be set to a range in the laser irradiation direction when welding is performed by the robot 3, for example. By doing so, laser irradiation is performed only when welding is performed.

  The prohibited range is a range indicating a laser irradiation direction in which laser irradiation is prohibited, and may include, for example, a laser irradiation prohibited direction and a prohibited angle. In that case, laser irradiation is prohibited in a direction that is within a prohibited angle with respect to the prohibited direction. In other words, when the angle between the laser irradiation direction and the prohibition direction is within the prohibition angle, laser irradiation in the laser irradiation direction is prohibited. The prohibited range may include a range of angles at which laser irradiation is prohibited in a polar coordinate system, a cylindrical coordinate system, or the like. For example, the prohibition range may include an azimuth angle range in which laser irradiation is prohibited and an elevation angle range. For example, the prohibited range may be set to a range when the laser irradiation direction is directed to a position where an operator or the like is located. By doing so, laser irradiation is not performed at a position where an operator or the like is located.

  The process in which the range information is stored in the range information storage unit 24 does not matter. For example, range information may be stored in the range information storage unit 24 via a recording medium, and range information transmitted via a communication line or the like is stored in the range information storage unit 24. Alternatively, the range information input via the input device may be stored in the range information storage unit 24. For example, range information may be input via the teach pendant 5. The storage in the range information storage unit 24 may be temporary storage in a RAM or the like, or may be long-term storage. The range information storage unit 24 can be realized by a predetermined recording medium (for example, a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk).

  The determination unit 25 determines the suitability of laser irradiation using the range information stored in the range information storage unit 24 and the laser irradiation direction acquired by the acquisition unit 23. For example, in the case where the allowable range is included in the range information stored in the range information storage unit 24, the determination unit 25 determines that the laser irradiation direction that is an acquisition result by the acquisition unit 23 is included in the allowable range. The laser irradiation may be determined to be appropriate, and the laser irradiation may be determined to be inappropriate when the laser irradiation direction is not included in the allowable range. Further, for example, when the prohibited range is included in the range information stored in the range information storage unit 24, the determination unit 25 includes the laser irradiation direction as a result of acquisition by the acquiring unit 23 in the prohibited range. Sometimes, it may be determined that the laser irradiation is inappropriate, and when the laser irradiation direction is not included in the prohibited range, it may be determined that the laser irradiation is appropriate.

Note that when the range information includes an allowable range and a prohibited range, and the determination result using the allowable range is different from the determination result using the prohibited range for a certain laser irradiation direction, the determination unit 25 For example, from the viewpoint of fail-safety, it may be determined that the laser irradiation is inappropriate, or the determination result of the allowable range or the prohibited range may be prioritized.
In addition, when the acquisition unit 23 acquires a range of directions in which laser irradiation may be performed, a direction that is not permitted or prohibited by the range information is included in the range of the direction. If included, the determination unit 25 may determine that laser irradiation is not appropriate.

  The laser irradiation control unit 26 controls laser irradiation by the laser sensor 3a in response to a laser irradiation request. The laser irradiation request may be transferred to the laser irradiation control unit 26 according to the teaching information, or may be transferred to the laser irradiation control unit 26 according to an operation by the teach pendant 5. In the present embodiment, a case where a laser irradiation request is transferred from the control unit 12 to the laser irradiation control unit 26 will be described. However, a laser irradiation request may be transferred from another component or the like to the laser irradiation control unit 26. The laser irradiation control unit 26 performs control so that the laser irradiation by the laser sensor 3a according to the laser irradiation request is not performed when the determination unit 25 determines that the laser irradiation is inappropriate. Therefore, when the laser irradiation request is received by the laser irradiation control unit 26 and the laser irradiation control unit 26 determines that the laser irradiation is appropriate, the laser irradiation control unit 26 receives the laser irradiation request. When the determination unit 25 determines that the laser irradiation is inappropriate, the laser irradiation is not performed. Further, the laser irradiation control unit 26 may detect the shape of the irradiation target and set the target position and target posture accordingly. In this case, conversion from the sensor coordinate system to the world coordinate system may be performed using, for example, a conversion matrix that performs conversion between the two coordinates. Further, the laser irradiation control unit 26 may use, for example, the positional relationship information stored in the positional relationship information storage unit 22 in the conversion.

  The output unit 27 performs an output indicating that the laser irradiation is inappropriate when the laser irradiation control unit 26 is controlled not to perform the laser irradiation according to the laser irradiation request. From the output, the operator or the like can know that the laser irradiation according to the laser irradiation request has not been performed. When the output is performed, an inappropriate laser irradiation request is made by teaching information or manual operation. For example, the operator corrects the teaching information according to the output. May be. Further, the output unit 27 performs the above output only at the time of the first control when the laser irradiation control unit 26 continuously performs the control not performing the laser irradiation according to the laser irradiation request. Thereafter, the above output need not be performed. In that case, for example, after the laser irradiation according to the laser irradiation request is performed once, the output may be performed again. Here, the output may be, for example, display on a display device (for example, a CRT or a liquid crystal display), transmission via a communication line to a predetermined device, printing by a printer, or audio output by a speaker. Alternatively, it may be stored in a recording medium, delivered to another component, or output to the teach pendant 5. The output contents are preferably output so that the operator or the like can finally know. The output unit 27 may or may not include an output device (for example, a display device or a printer). Further, the output unit 27 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software such as a driver that drives these devices.

  In the robot control device 1, a signal or the like is transferred between the control unit 12 and the robot 3 or the welding power source 4, or a signal or the like is transferred between the laser irradiation control unit 26 and the laser sensor 3 a. Signals and the like between the robot controller 1 and the robot controller 1 may be appropriately transmitted via an interface such as a communication unit.

  Further, any two or more storage units among the teaching information storage unit 11, the positional relationship information storage unit 22, and the range information storage unit 24 may be realized by the same recording medium, or may be provided separately. It may be realized by a recording medium. In the former case, for example, the area storing the teaching information becomes the teaching information storage unit 11, and the area storing the range information becomes the range information storing unit 24.

Next, the operation of the laser irradiation control device 2 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.
(Step S101) The laser irradiation control unit 26 determines whether there is a laser irradiation request. And when there exists a laser irradiation request | requirement, it progresses to step S102, and when that is not right, the process of step S101 is repeated until there exists a laser irradiation request | requirement. The laser irradiation control unit 26 may determine that there is a laser irradiation request when receiving a laser irradiation request from the control unit 12, for example. Moreover, when continuous laser irradiation is requested | required, it may be judged that there exists a laser irradiation request | requirement in all the periods for which the continuous laser irradiation is requested | required.

  (Step S102) Each axis position acquisition unit 21 acquires the position of each axis at that time.

  (Step S <b> 103) The acquisition unit 23 calculates the laser irradiation direction using the positional relationship information stored in the positional relationship information storage unit 22 and the position of each axis acquired by each axis position acquisition unit 21.

(Step S <b> 104) The determination unit 25 determines whether the laser irradiation direction calculated in step S <b> 103 is appropriate using the range information regarding the laser irradiation direction stored in the range information storage unit 24. And when it is appropriate, it progresses to step S105, and when that is not right, it progresses to step S106.
For example, when the range information includes an allowable range including an allowable direction and an allowable angle, the determination unit 25 calculates an angle formed by the vector of the allowable direction and the vector of the laser irradiation direction, When the angle is equal to or smaller than the allowable angle, it may be determined to be appropriate, and when the angle is larger than the allowable angle, it may be determined to be inappropriate.

  (Step S105) The laser irradiation control unit 26 performs control so that laser irradiation according to the laser irradiation request is performed. As a result, laser irradiation by the laser sensor 3a is performed. Then, the process returns to step S101.

(Step S106) The laser irradiation control unit 26 performs control so that laser irradiation corresponding to the laser irradiation request is not performed. This control may be such that the laser irradiation control unit 26 does not perform control so that laser irradiation according to the laser irradiation request is performed. The output unit 27 performs output indicating that laser irradiation is inappropriate. Then, the process returns to step S101.
In the flowchart of FIG. 2, the process is terminated by powering off or a process termination interrupt.

  As described above, according to the laser irradiation control device 2 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to control laser irradiation according to the range information. Therefore, by appropriately setting the range information, it is possible to control so that laser irradiation is not performed where a person is present. Specifically, by setting up so that no upward laser irradiation or laser irradiation in the direction in which an operator or the like may exist is performed, erroneous laser irradiation toward a person due to a teaching error or an operation error is prevented. It can be avoided. In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide distance measuring means for measuring the distance between the laser sensor and the measurement target. As described above, the laser irradiation direction is determined using the position of each axis of the robot 3. When acquired, laser irradiation can be controlled without using such distance measuring means. Moreover, in the said patent document 1, when the distance of a laser sensor and a measuring object is no longer within a measurable range during the measurement by the laser sensor, this is detected after the distance is not within the measurable range. Until the laser irradiation is stopped, the laser irradiation is performed, which is dangerous. On the other hand, according to the laser irradiation control apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, for example, when a range in which laser irradiation is not permitted is included in the scanning range by the laser sensor 3a, the scanning may not be permitted. Can improve safety. In addition, when the laser irradiation according to the laser irradiation request is not performed, the fact that the laser irradiation is inappropriate is output, for example, teaching information so as to correct a teaching error according to the output. Can be changed. It is also possible to inform the operator that manual operation is not appropriate.

In addition, although the acquisition part 23 demonstrated the case where the acquisition part 23 acquires a laser irradiation direction in the said description, it may not be so. The acquisition unit 23 may acquire the position of the laser sensor 3a instead of the laser irradiation direction. The position may be considered as a position in a space where the robot 3 is arranged, that is, a position in the world coordinate system. The acquisition unit 23 performs acquisition using the position of each axis acquired by each axis position acquisition unit 21 and the positional relationship information stored in the positional relationship information storage unit 22. For example, the acquisition unit 23 uses the positional relationship information to identify the location of the robot 3 where the laser sensor 3a is provided, and uses the position of each axis to determine the location in the world coordinate system in the forward kinematics. You may calculate by calculation of. Here, since it is only necessary to calculate the position of the laser sensor 3a, the positional relationship information may be information that can be used together with the position of each axis to acquire the position of the laser sensor 3a. Therefore, the positional relationship information may not include information indicating the attachment angle (posture) of the laser sensor 3a. When the acquisition unit 23 acquires the position of the laser sensor 3a, the determination unit 25 uses the range information and the position of the laser sensor 3a that is an acquisition result by the acquisition unit 23 to perform laser irradiation. Appropriateness may be determined. In this case, the range information is the same as the above-described range information regarding the laser irradiation direction except that the range information is related to the position of the laser sensor 3a. Therefore, the range information may include an allowable range indicating the range of the position of the laser sensor 3a in which laser irradiation is allowed, and there is a prohibited range indicating the range of the position of the laser sensor 3a in which laser irradiation is prohibited. It may be included. The information indicating the range may be information indicating the range in the world coordinate system, for example. Specifically, when the world coordinate system is an orthogonal coordinate system,
X _min ≦ X ≦ X _max
Y _min ≦ Y ≦ Y _max
Z _min ≦ Z ≦ Z _max
As described above, the range of coordinates (X, Y, Z) in the orthogonal coordinate system may be indicated. The world coordinate system may be, for example, a polar coordinate system or a cylindrical coordinate system.

  When the acquisition unit 23 acquires the position of the laser sensor 3a and the determination unit 25 makes a determination regarding the position of the laser sensor 3a, the laser irradiation control device 2 may operate as shown in the flowchart of FIG. Good. In the flowchart of FIG. 3, processes other than steps S201 and S202 are the same as those in the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 3, it is assumed that range information regarding the position of the laser sensor 3 a is stored in the range information storage unit 24.

  (Step S201) The acquisition unit 23 acquires the position of the laser sensor 3a using the positional relationship information stored in the positional relationship information storage unit 22 and the position of each axis acquired by each axis position acquisition unit 21. To do.

  (Step S202) The determination unit 25 determines whether the position of the laser sensor 3a calculated in step S201 is appropriate using the range information regarding the position of the laser sensor 3a stored in the range information storage unit 24. To do. And when it is appropriate, it progresses to step S105, and when that is not right, it progresses to step S106.

  According to such a laser irradiation control device 2, it is possible to control laser irradiation according to range information. Therefore, by appropriately setting the range information, it is possible to reduce the possibility that laser irradiation is performed where there is a person, and it is possible to further improve safety. Specifically, the range information may be set so that laser irradiation is performed only when the laser sensor 3a is present near a laser irradiation target (for example, a workpiece). Therefore, for example, when the robot 3 is in the retracted posture, the range in which the laser sensor 3a exists may be set to a range where laser irradiation is not permitted (for example, a range other than the allowable range or a prohibited range). In this way, laser irradiation can be prevented from being performed at a position where laser irradiation is unnecessary, and the possibility of laser irradiation on a person can be reduced.

  In the above description, the laser irradiation control device 2 that makes a determination regarding the laser irradiation direction and the laser irradiation control device 2 that makes a determination regarding the position of the laser sensor 3a have been described. May be performed. And when at least one judgment result shows that laser irradiation is inappropriate, you may control so that laser irradiation is not performed.

  In the above description, the case where the robot 3 having the laser sensor 3a is a welding robot that performs arc welding has been mainly described, but this need not be the case. The robot 3 may be, for example, a welding robot that performs welding other than arc welding, or may be an assembly robot or a transfer robot. Such an assembly robot, a transfer robot, or the like may operate according to a measurement result using the laser sensor 3a, for example.

  In the above description, the case where the laser irradiation direction and the position of the laser sensor 3a are acquired using the positional relationship information has been described, but this need not be the case. In that case, the laser irradiation control device 2 may not include the positional relationship information storage unit 22. For example, if the position and direction of the hand of the robot 3 and the position and direction of the laser sensor 3a match, or if it can be considered that they match, the position and direction of the hand of the robot 3 However, the acquisition of the laser irradiation direction and the acquisition of the position of the laser sensor 3a may be performed assuming that the position and direction of the laser sensor 3a are present.

  In the above description, the case where the laser irradiation direction and the position of the laser sensor 3a are acquired using the position of each axis has been described, but this need not be the case. In that case, the laser irradiation control device 2 may not include each axis position acquisition unit 21. When the position of each axis is not used, the acquisition unit 23 may acquire the laser irradiation direction using, for example, a gyro sensor or an acceleration sensor provided in the laser sensor 3a. Specifically, the azimuth angle can be acquired by using a gyro sensor. Further, by using the acceleration sensor, the angle with respect to the gravity direction (vertical direction) can be calculated. Moreover, the acquisition part 23 may acquire the position of the laser sensor 3a, for example, by analyzing the result of the marker provided on the laser sensor 3a being captured by one or more cameras. The marker may be, for example, a pattern image marker similar to the AR marker, a marker used in motion capture, or another marker. For example, when the shape and size of the marker are known, it is possible to acquire the position of the laser sensor 3a using the result of photographing with a single camera. Further, the acquisition unit 23 acquires a change in position by, for example, integrating the acceleration acquired by the acceleration sensor provided in the laser sensor 3a twice, and uses the change in position to acquire the current state of the laser sensor 3a. You may acquire a position. Moreover, it cannot be overemphasized that the acquisition part 23 may acquire the laser irradiation direction and the position of the laser sensor 3a by methods other than these.

  Moreover, although the case where the laser irradiation control device 2 includes the output unit 27 has been described in the present embodiment, this need not be the case. For example, when there is no need to notify an operator or the like that laser irradiation is inappropriate, the laser irradiation control device 2 may not include the output unit 27.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the laser irradiation control device 2 is included in the robot control device 1 has been described, but this need not be the case. The laser irradiation control device 2 exists separately from the robot control device 1, and may control the laser sensor 3a while transmitting / receiving information to / from the robot control device 1, for example.

  In the above embodiment, each process or each function may be realized by centralized processing by a single device or a single system, or may be distributedly processed by a plurality of devices or a plurality of systems. It may be realized by doing.

  In the above embodiment, the information exchange between the components is performed by one component when, for example, the two components that exchange the information are physically different from each other. It may be performed by outputting information and receiving information by the other component, or when two components that exchange information are physically the same, one component May be performed by moving from the phase of the process corresponding to to the phase of the process corresponding to the other component.

  In the above embodiment, information related to processing executed by each component, for example, information received, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, or received by each component In addition, information such as threshold values, mathematical formulas, addresses, and the like used by each constituent element in processing may be temporarily or for a long time held in a recording medium (not shown), even if not specified in the above description. Further, the storage of information on the recording medium (not shown) may be performed by each component or a storage unit (not shown). Further, reading of information from the recording medium (not shown) may be performed by each component or a reading unit (not shown).

  In the above embodiment, when information used by each component, for example, information such as a threshold value, an address, and various setting values used by each component may be changed by the user, Even if it is not specified in the description, the user may be able to change the information as appropriate, or may not be so. If the information can be changed by the user, the change is realized by, for example, a not-shown receiving unit that receives a change instruction from the user and a changing unit (not shown) that changes the information in accordance with the change instruction. May be. The change instruction received by the receiving unit (not shown) may be received from an input device, information received via a communication line, or information read from a predetermined recording medium, for example. .

  In the above embodiment, when two or more constituent elements included in the laser irradiation control apparatus 2 have a communication device, an input device, etc., the two or more constituent elements have a physically single device. Or may have separate devices.

  In the above embodiment, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or a component that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component can be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. At the time of execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing the storage unit or the recording medium. The program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, or may be executed by reading a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like). Good. Further, this program may be used as a program constituting a program product. Further, the computer that executes the program may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible, and it goes without saying that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, according to the laser irradiation control device of the present invention, an effect that the safety can be further improved is obtained, and it is useful, for example, as a device for controlling laser irradiation in a welding robot or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Robot control apparatus 2 Laser irradiation control apparatus 3 Robot 3a Laser sensor 11 Teaching information storage part 12 Control part 21 Each axis position acquisition part 22 Position relation information storage part 23 Acquisition part 24 Range information storage part 25 Judgment part 26 Laser irradiation control part 27 Output section

Claims (7)

A laser irradiation control device for controlling a laser sensor of a robot,
An acquisition unit for acquiring a laser irradiation direction by the laser sensor;
A range information storage unit for storing range information that is range information regarding whether laser irradiation is permitted or not;
A determination unit that determines the suitability of laser irradiation using the range information and the laser irradiation direction acquired by the acquisition unit;
A laser irradiation control unit for controlling laser irradiation by the laser sensor in response to a laser irradiation request,
The laser irradiation control unit controls the laser irradiation so as not to be performed by the laser sensor in response to a laser irradiation request when the determination unit determines that the laser irradiation is inappropriate. . A laser irradiation control device for controlling a laser sensor of a robot,
An acquisition unit for acquiring the position of the laser sensor;
A range information storage unit for storing range information that is range information regarding whether laser irradiation is permitted or not;
Using the range information and the position of the laser sensor acquired by the acquisition unit, a determination unit that determines the suitability of laser irradiation,
A laser irradiation control unit for controlling laser irradiation by the laser sensor in response to a laser irradiation request,
The laser irradiation control unit controls the laser irradiation so as not to be performed by the laser sensor in response to a laser irradiation request when the determination unit determines that the laser irradiation is inappropriate. . Each axis position acquisition unit for acquiring the position of each axis of the robot further comprises
The laser irradiation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit performs the acquisition using the position of each axis acquired by the axis position acquisition unit. A positional relationship information storage unit that stores positional relationship information that is information indicating the positional relationship of the laser sensor with respect to the robot;
The laser irradiation control device according to claim 3, wherein the acquisition unit performs the acquisition also using the positional relationship information. The range information has an allowable range that is an allowable range of laser irradiation,
The laser irradiation control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the determination unit determines that the laser irradiation is appropriate when an acquisition result by the acquisition unit is included in the allowable range. The range information has a prohibited range that is a range in which laser irradiation is prohibited,
The laser irradiation control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the laser irradiation is inappropriate when an acquisition result by the acquisition unit is included in the prohibited range. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output unit configured to output an output indicating that the laser irradiation is inappropriate when the laser irradiation control unit is controlled not to perform the laser irradiation according to the laser irradiation request. The laser irradiation control device according to claim 6.

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