JP5307491B2 - Teaching pendant - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a teaching pendant that is connected to a robot controller that controls a robot provided inside a safety fence and outputs an operation command for operating the robot to the robot controller.

The robot is installed inside the safety fence for the purpose of ensuring the safety of the worker. When the robot controller is automatically operated by starting the automatic program with the robot controller, the worker is outside the safety fence. Need to be in As a procedure to determine whether the worker is outside the safety fence, light, sound, electromagnetics, etc. were used between the teaching pendant carried by the worker and the robot controller installed outside the safety fence. By communicating, it is determined whether the teaching pendant exists near the robot controller, that is, whether the worker is outside the safety fence, and the worker is outside the safety fence. A configuration is disclosed in which an automatic program is started by a robot controller to automatically operate a robot (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-17223 A

  However, since the technique described in Patent Document 1 is configured to determine whether or not the teaching pendant exists in the vicinity of the robot controller using light, sound, electromagnetics, or the like, ) Depending on the equipment status, the teaching pendant does not actually exist near the robot controller due to reflection of light, sound, electromagnetics, etc., but it is erroneously determined that the teaching pendant exists near the robot controller. There is a risk that.

  Therefore, instead of using light, sound, electromagnetics, or the like, it may be possible to determine whether an operator carrying the teaching pendant is outside the safety fence using a mechanical switch or a contact sensor. However, simply providing a mechanical switch or contact sensor may cause the operator to erroneously operate the mechanical switch or contact sensor, and it is difficult to reliably eliminate human error. It is also easy to intentionally create a situation where the worker is outside the safety fence.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to ensure that an operator is outside the safety fence when the robot provided inside the safety fence is automatically operated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a teaching pendant that can be a necessary condition and can ensure the safety of workers.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the teaching pendant that is connected to the robot controller that controls the robot provided inside the safety fence and outputs an operation command for operating the robot to the robot controller, Above the front part, there is a mode switch that allows the operator to selectively switch between the manual mode for manually operating the robot and the automatic mode for automatically operating the robot by starting the automatic program with the robot controller. Is provided. Also, at the position where the operator cannot operate with one hand at the same time on the bottom of the main unit, the pressing surface is flush with the bottom of the main unit or at the position where it is recessed upward from the bottom of the main unit. And the pressing surface portion moves from the off-state position to the pushed-in position in response to the upward pressing force being applied to the pressing surface portion, so that the pressing surface portion shifts from the off state to the on state. The pressure switch is configured to return from the ON state to the OFF state by moving the pressing surface portion from the ON state position to the original position in response to the release of the upward pressing force applied to the Are distributed in two .

2 that this way is constituted by a teaching pendant comprising is provided safe when placed correctly teaching pendant folder provided on the outside of the fence, two of the teaching pendant folder corresponding to the pressed switch By applying upward pressing force to the pressing surface portions of the two pressing switches from the convex portion, all of the two pressing switches shift from the off state to the on state. In this state, when the mode switch is switched to the automatic mode, the control means permits the robot controller to start the automatic program.

That is, according to this, the operator can safely secure the teaching pendant by disposing two pressure switches at positions where the operator cannot operate with one hand at the same time on the bottom surface of the main body. Unless it is normally placed in the teaching pendant folder provided on the outside of the fence, it is impossible to move all the push switches from the OFF state to the ON state, and it is impossible to start the automatic program by the robot controller. Is possible. As a result, when the robot installed inside the safety fence is automatically operated, it is possible to ensure that the worker is outside the safety fence, ensuring the safety of the worker. can do.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the control means is configured such that even if the mode changeover switch is switched to the automatic mode, the robot controller does not execute the automatic program because all of the two push switches are not turned on. If the activation is not permitted, error information is notified by the notification means. As a result, the operator can be informed that the automatic program is not activated by the robot controller.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a teaching pendant connected to a robot controller that controls a six-axis vertical articulated robot (hereinafter referred to as a robot) will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 2, the robot 1 is installed inside the safety fence 2. The robot 1 has a base, a shoulder portion supported by the base so as to be turnable in the horizontal direction, a lower arm supported by the shoulder portion so as to be turnable in the vertical direction, and supported by the lower arm so as to be capable of turning in the vertical direction. The first upper arm, the second upper arm supported by the tip of the first upper arm so as to be able to rotate, and the second upper arm are supported so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. A wrist and a flange supported on the wrist so as to be rotatable (twisting), including the base, a shoulder portion, a lower arm, a first upper arm, a second upper arm, a wrist and a flange as links Each link functions and is configured to be rotatably connected to the lower link by a rotary joint. In addition, a hand (not shown) for gripping a workpiece can be attached to the flange, which is a state-of-the-art link, and a motor fixed to the link side of the previous stage is attached to a rotary joint that connects the links. Is provided with a speed reducer that decelerates the rotation of the motor and transmits it to the next link.

  The robot 1 configured as described above is movable with the inside of the safety fence 2 as a movable area. The safety fence 2 is provided with an entrance for an operator to enter and exit, and the operator can move between the inside and outside of the safety fence 2 through the entrance by opening and closing the door 2a which is a part of the safety fence 2. It is like that. A robot controller 3 that controls the robot 1 is connected to the robot 1 via a connection cable 4, and a teaching pendant 5 that can be carried by an operator is connected to the robot controller 3 via a connection cable 6. When a manual operation command is input from the teaching pendant 5, the robot controller 3 controls the robot 1 to operate manually. On the other hand, when an automatic operation command is input from the teaching pendant 5, the automatic program stored in advance is started. By doing so, the robot 1 is controlled to operate automatically.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of a teaching pendant 5 and a teaching pendant folder 7 in which the teaching pendant 5 is placed. In the teaching pendant 5, the main body 8 has a rectangular shape as a whole, and a liquid crystal display with backlight (hereinafter referred to as a liquid crystal display) 9 is located near the center of the front portion 8 a of the main body 8 (the present invention). Informing means) is provided. The liquid crystal display 9 has a function of forming a touch panel 9b (see FIG. 4) that can be operated by an operator on the display surface 9a. The front portion 8 a of the main body 8 here is a surface portion that is substantially flush with the display surface 9 a of the liquid crystal display 9.

  On the left side surface portion 8b of the main body 8 (a surface portion orthogonal to the left side with respect to the surface direction of the display surface 9a of the liquid crystal display 9), the left hand in a normal usage mode in which an operator views the display surface 9a of the liquid crystal display device 9 in front The 1st holding part 10 hold | gripped by is provided in the arch shape. The right hand portion 8c of the main body 8 (surface portion orthogonal to the surface direction of the display surface 9a of the liquid crystal display 9 on the right side) is a right hand in a normal use mode in which an operator views the display surface 9a of the liquid crystal display 9 in front. The second gripping part 11 gripped by is provided in an arch shape. The first grip portion 10 and the second grip portion 11 are provided symmetrically.

  A mode changeover switch (mode selector) 12 is provided at the upper left corner of the front portion 8a of the main body 8. The mode change switch 12 is configured so that the operator can selectively switch one of three modes of a manual mode (manual mode), an automatic mode (auto mode), and a teach check mode. . The manual mode is a mode for operating the robot 1 manually, and the automatic mode is a mode for operating the robot 1 automatically.

  An emergency stop switch 13 and a jog dial 14 are provided at the upper right corner of the front portion 8a of the main body 8. The emergency stop switch 13 is composed of, for example, a 4-contact switch. Around the liquid crystal display 9, a motor key 15, a lock key 16, a robot selection key 17, an operation mode key 18, a speed key 19, a cursor key 20, a stop key 21, an OK key 22, a cancel key 23, and movement of each axis A direction key 24, a shift key 25, and a function key 26 are provided, and three LEDs 27 to 29 are provided.

  A first pressing switch 30 is provided at a position close to the left side surface portion 8b on the bottom surface portion 8d of the main body 8 (surface portion orthogonal to the surface direction of the display surface 9a of the liquid crystal display 9). A second pressing switch 31 is provided at a position on the bottom surface portion 8d of the main body 8 and close to the right side surface portion 8c. The first pressing switch 30 and the second pressing switch 31 are provided apart by a distance that prevents an operator from pressing the two pressing switches 30 and 31 simultaneously with one hand. The first push switch 30 and the second push switch 31 have the same structure.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first pressing switch 30 is provided so that the operating element 32 can be moved in the vertical direction (directions indicated by arrows P1 and P2 in FIG. 3) by a support member (not shown). In addition, the pressing surface portion 32a of the operation element 32 holds the off state (the state shown in FIG. 3A) at a position flush with the bottom surface portion 8d of the main body 8, and upward pressing force is applied to the pressing surface portion 32a. The operating element 32 moves from the off-state position to the pushed-in position in response to being given, so that the off-state is turned on (the state shown in FIG. 3B, the two-dot chain line indicates the off-state. The operation element 32 moves from the on-state position to the original position in response to the release of the upward pressing force applied to the pressing surface portion 32a, so that the on-state is turned off. It is configured to return.

  Similarly, the second pressing switch 31 is provided such that the operating element 33 is movable in the vertical direction by a support member (not shown), and the pressing surface portion 33 a of the operating element 33 is the bottom surface portion 8 d of the main body 8. The off state is maintained at a flush position, and the operation element 33 moves from the off state position to the pushed position in response to the upward pressing force applied to the pressing surface portion 33a. When the operating element 33 moves from the on-state position to the original position in response to the release of the upward pressing force applied to the pressing surface portion 33a from the on-state to the on-state, the on-state is turned off from the on-state. It is comprised so that it may return to a state.

  The teaching pendant folder 7 has a box shape having an opening 34 on the upper side, and the inside of the teaching pendant folder 7 is an accommodating portion 35 that accommodates the lower portion of the teaching pendant 5. The accommodating portion 35 has a width dimension (indicated by “a” in FIG. 1) slightly larger than a width dimension of the lower portion of the teaching pendant 5, and a depth dimension (indicated by “b” in FIG. 1). It is formed slightly larger than the depth dimension of the lower part of the pendant 5. A first convex portion 37 and a second convex portion 38 are formed on the upper surface portion 36 a of the bottom wall 36 that forms the accommodating portion 35. The distance between the first protrusion 37 and the second protrusion 38 is equal to the distance between the first press switch 30 and the second press switch 31 in the teaching pendant 5, and the first protrusion The shape and area of the top surface portion 37a of the 37 are substantially the same as the shape and area of the pressing surface portion 32a of the operation element 32 in the first pressing switch 30, and the shape and area of the top surface portion 38a of the second convex portion 38 are the same. The shape and area of the pressing surface portion 33a of the operation element 33 in the second pressing switch 31 are substantially the same. The teaching pendant folder 7 configured in this way is installed outside the safety fence 2.

  That is, when the teaching pendant 5 is normally placed in the teaching pendant folder 7 outside the safety fence 2 (the lower portion of the teaching pendant 5 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 35, and the bottom surface portion 8d of the main body 8 of the teaching pendant 5 is accommodated in the accommodating portion. 35), the top surface portion 37a of the first convex portion 37 is in contact with the pressing surface portion 32a of the operation element 32 in the first pressing switch 30, and the first convex portion 37 is further in contact with the top surface portion 36a. By applying an upward pressing force from the top surface portion 37 a to the pressing surface portion 32 a of the operation element 32, the first pressing switch 30 shifts from the off state to the on state, and at the same time, the top surface portion 38 a of the second convex portion 38. Is in contact with the pressing surface portion 33a of the operating element 33 in the second pressing switch 31, and further from the top surface portion 38a of the second convex portion 38 to the pressing surface of the operating element 33. Second push switch 31 by pressing force upward is applied is shifted from the OFF state to the ON state 33a.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the teaching pendant 5 described above. In the teaching pendant 5, the control unit 39 (control means in the present invention) is composed of a microcomputer including a CPU, a RAM and a ROM. The liquid crystal display 9, the mode change switch 12, the emergency stop switch 13, The jog dial 14, various keys 15 to 26, various LEDs 27 to 29, the first press switch 30, the second press switch 31, and the communication interface unit 40 are connected, the touch panel 9 b of the liquid crystal display 9, and the mode change switch 12, the operator performed analysis by analyzing the operation detection signal input from the emergency stop switch 13, the jog dial 14 and the various keys 15 to 26 and the pressure detection signal input from the first press switch 30 and the second press switch 31. The operation is detected, the display operation in the liquid crystal display 9, various LEDs 27 Lighting operation and flashing operation at 29, for controlling the transmission operation of the operation command from the communication interface unit 40 to the robot controller 3.

Next, processing performed by the teaching pendant 5 as an operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.
When the teaching pendant 5 is in the power-on state, the control unit 39 determines whether the mode switch 12 is switched to the manual mode or the automatic mode (step S1). Here, when the control unit 39 determines that the mode changeover switch 12 is switched to the manual mode, the control unit 39 manually operates the robot 1 by transmitting a manual operation command from the communication interface unit 40 to the robot controller 3 (step S40). S2).

  On the other hand, if the control part 39 determines with the mode switch 12 being switched to the automatic mode, it will determine whether the 1st press switch 30 is an ON state at the time (step S3). If it is determined that the first press switch 30 is in the on state at that time (“YES” in step S3), it is determined whether or not the second press switch 31 is in the on state at that time (step S3). S4) If it is determined that the second push switch 31 is in the ON state at that time (“YES” in step S4), the robot controller 3 transmits an automatic operation command from the communication interface unit 40 to the robot controller 3. In step S5, the automatic program is started to operate the robot 1 automatically during the robot operation.

  If the control unit 39 determines that the first press switch 30 is not in the on state (“NO” in step S3), the control unit 39 determines that the second press switch 31 is not in the on state (“NO” in step S4). ”), Error information indicating that the automatic program cannot be started when the robot controller 3 operates the robot is displayed on the liquid crystal display 9 (step S6), and the automatic program cannot be started by the robot controller 3. Inform the worker to that effect.

  Thus, in the teaching pendant 5, the operator sets the mode switch 12 to the automatic mode on condition that the first pressing switch 30 is in the on state and the second pressing switch 31 is in the on state. When switching, the robot controller 3 can start an automatic program. That is, since it is impossible to simultaneously turn on the first push switch 30 and the second push switch 31 with one hand, the robot controller 3 executes an automatic program with the teaching pendant 5 being carried. It is impossible to activate.

  Therefore, in order to start the automatic program by the robot controller 3 and automatically operate the robot 1, the worker normally places the teaching pendant 5 in the teaching pendant folder 7 installed outside the safety fence 2, The first pressing switch 30 and the second pressing switch 31 are not turned on with their own hands, but the first convex portion 37 and the second convex portion 38 of the teaching pendant folder 7 are used for the first. After the pressing switch 30 and the second pressing switch 31 are turned on, the mode switch 12 is switched to the automatic mode. In other words, the operator can automatically operate the robot 1 by starting the automatic program by the robot controller 3 by switching the mode changeover switch 12 to the automatic mode only outside the safety fence 2.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the first push switch 30 and the teaching pendant 5 are separated from the bottom surface portion 8d of the main body 8 by a distance that the operator cannot simultaneously press with one hand. The second push switch 31 is provided, and the first push switch 30 is in the on state and the second push switch 31 is in the on state as necessary conditions for starting the automatic program in the robot controller 3. When the teaching pendant 5 is normally placed in the teaching pendant folder 7 installed outside the safety fence 2, the first push switch 30 and the second push switch 31 shift from the off state to the on state. Configured. This allows the robot controller 3 to start the automatic program by switching the mode changeover switch 12 to the automatic mode after the operator has properly placed the teaching pendant 5 in the teaching pendant folder 7 outside the safety fence 2. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the safety of workers.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified or expanded as follows.
The number of pressing switches may be three or more as long as it satisfies the condition including two that are separated by a distance at which the operator cannot simultaneously press with one hand, and the number of convex portions in the teaching pendant folder is There may be three or more corresponding to the number of the push switches.

  It is not limited to the configuration in which the pressing surface portion of the operating element in the pressing switch is kept in the off state at the same position as the bottom surface portion of the main body, but is turned off when the pressing surface portion of the operating element in the pressing switch is recessed upward from the bottom surface portion of the main body. The configuration may be such that the state is maintained, and if configured in such a manner, for example, the pressure switch moves from the off state to the on state against the operator's intention by colliding with a protrusion or the like existing around. Can be avoided reliably.

The one figure which shows one embodiment of the present invention, and shows the composition of the teaching pendant and teaching pendant folder roughly The figure which shows the connection aspect of a robot, a robot controller, and a teaching pendant Diagram showing the operation of the push switch Functional block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the teaching pendant flowchart

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 1 is a robot, 2 is a safety fence, 3 is a robot controller, 5 is a teaching pendant, 7 is a teaching pendant folder, 8 is a main body, 8a is a front surface portion, 8b is a left side surface portion, 8c is a right side surface portion, and 8d is a bottom surface. , 9 is a liquid crystal display (notification means), 12 is a mode switch, 30 is a first press switch, 31 is a second press switch, 32 is an operator, 32a is a pressing surface portion, 33 is an operator, 33a Is a pressing surface portion, and 39 is a control portion (control means).

Claims (2)

Connected to the robot controller that controls the robot provided inside the safety fence,
A teaching pendant that outputs an operation command for operating the robot to the robot controller,
A first grip that is provided in an arch shape on the left side surface portion located on the left end portion of the main body and the right side surface portion located on the right end portion of the main body with the display surface of the liquid crystal display interposed therebetween, and is gripped with the left hand of the operator And a second gripping part gripped with the right hand of the operator,
A manual mode for operating the robot manually and an automatic mode for automatically operating the robot by activating an automatic program by the robot controller; A mode selector switch that can be selectively switched by the operator,
In the bottom surface portion of the main body that is orthogonal to the display surface and orthogonal to the left side surface portion and the right side surface portion of the main body, the first surface portion is provided at the end portion of the left side surface portion and the end portion on the right side surface portion, Two workers are provided at positions where the gripper and the second gripper can not be operated simultaneously with one hand, and the pressing surface is flush with the bottom surface of the main body or the main body. The off state is maintained at a position recessed upward from the bottom surface portion, and the pressing surface portion moves from the off state position to a position pushed upward in response to an upward pressing force applied to the pressing surface portion. As a result, when the upward pressing force applied to the pressing surface portion is released, the pressing surface portion moves from the ON state position to the original position in response to the release of the upward pressing force applied to the pressing surface portion. State A push switch comprising configured to return to Luo OFF state,
Control means for allowing the robot controller to start an automatic program when the mode switch is switched to an automatic mode on condition that all of the two push switches are in an on state;
The two pieces from the two protrusions provided in the teaching pendant folder corresponding to the two push switches when placed normally in the teaching pendant folder provided outside the safety fence. A teaching pendant, wherein an upward pressing force is applied to the pressing surface of the pressing switch so that all of the two pressing switches shift from the off state to the on state. In the teaching pendant according to claim 1,
In the case where the robot controller does not allow the robot controller to start an automatic program because all of the two push switches are not in an on state even when the mode switch is switched to the automatic mode. A teaching pendant, wherein error information is notified by a notification means.

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