TWI460565B - Conveyance robot device - Google Patents

Description

Handling robot

The present invention relates to a transport robot apparatus including a control device and a transport robot that executes commands by exchanging signals with the control device.

A transport robot commonly used at an industrial site is generally connected to an external control device and operates in response to an instruction from the control device. Both of them have a communication function, and can communicate with each other by means of a signal exchange (for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 8-234825 and No. 2002-108424).

For example, the transfer robot used in the step of performing heat treatment of the liquid crystal glass substrate itself is a separately commanded execution machine. In order to perform continuous operations, the control device needs to repeatedly exchange signals and supply the next command to the transport robot that returns to the home position after the completion of one command (end of execution) and stops completely.

However, as described above, in a system in which a command is exchanged after a command is completely completed, and a plurality of commands are executed, except that a plurality of times of signal exchanges require a corresponding time, it is a waste of time to return to the origin position and stop completely. As a result, the time required for the entire step becomes longer. Further, in general, the transport robot has an overlapping function of executing the next command even if it is not completely returned to the origin position, but this function cannot be applied every time a signal is exchanged after one command is completely completed.

In view of the conventional problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer robot apparatus which can shorten the time required for the entire transport step.

The transport robot apparatus of the present invention includes a control device and a transport robot, and can execute processing corresponding to the command instructed by the signal exchange of the control device, and read the next command in parallel during the execution of the current command, and connect Executed after the current order.

In the transfer robot apparatus as described above, the process of writing, reading, and then executing the next command in parallel in the execution of the current command may be sequentially performed, and the plural number may be continuously executed by one-time signal exchange. Commands.

Further, the transport robot may be configured to read the next command only when the information indicating that the plurality of commands are continuously executed is received from the control device, and if the information is not received, only the current command is executed. It is over. If it is judged based on such information, whether or not the next command should be read, a reliable judgment can be made, and a wasteful operation is not performed in a case where it is not continuous (separate).

Further, the transfer robot may have an overlapping function, and when the execution of the command is completed, the next command is executed without completing the stop. In this case, since the next command can be executed without the complete stop at the end of one command by the overlapping function, the time required to execute the entire carrying step is further shortened.

According to the handling robot apparatus of the present invention, since a plurality of commands can be continuously executed by one-time handshake, the time required to execute the entire carrying step is shortened as compared with the case of exchanging signals for each command.

Fig. 1 is a view showing a transfer robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention together with peripheral devices. This is, for example, a transfer robot device for heat-treating a liquid crystal substrate. In the figure, the transport robot is composed of a transfer robot 1 that is extended by both arms and a control device 2 that is formed by a PLC (Programmable Controller). The transport robot 1 and the control device 2 are connected by a cable 3, and the transport robot 1 is a process that can be executed by a command instructed by the handshake of the control device 2.

Specifically, first, the transfer robot 1 carries a workpiece (not shown) of the liquid crystal substrate from the loading unit 4 by the both arms. At this time, for example, an operation of stretching or adsorbing the arm is performed. Next, the transport robot 1 uses the arms of both arms to house the workpieces in the first furnace body 5 and the second furnace body 6, respectively. Further, after the stored workpiece is released, the other workpiece that has been subjected to the heat treatment is taken out and returned. Then, these heat-treated workpieces are housed in the cooling portion (or the unloading portion) 7, and are fed in the next step.

Fig. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the transport robot 1. After the start of the operation, the transport robot 1 first performs a predetermined initial process required for the preparation of the operation (step S1). Next, the transport robot 1 determines whether or not the handshake has been received from the control device 2 (step S2), and waits for acceptance even when it is not accepted. Further, the reception of the handshake is established, for example, based on the receipt of the Strobe signal from the control device 2 by the transport robot 1. When the handshake is accepted, the transport robot 1 enters the command processing (step S3), and after the execution is completed, the command end processing such as returning to the origin position and completely stopping is performed (step S4).

Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing the details of the command processing (step S3) in Fig. 2 (sub-family). In Fig. 3, the transport robot 1 reads a command from the control device 2 (step S31). Further, in detail, after the control device 2 writes a command to the transport robot 1, the control device 2 requests reading from the transport robot 1, whereby the transport robot 1 executes the read command. Then, the transport robot 1 starts executing the read command (step S32). For example, when the command is "loading in", the transport robot 1 carries in the workpiece from the loading unit 4 (Fig. 1).

Next, the transport robot 1 judges whether or not it is a continuous request command, that is, a mode in which a plurality of commands are continuously executed (step S33). The continuous request is that the control device 2 outputs a separate/continuous flag output indicating the command, and is continuously signaled (for example, fixed to the H level) during the continuous operation. On the other hand, in the case where the command is separate, this flag is the L level. When there is no continuous request (that is, in a separate case), the transport robot 1 determines in step S34 whether or not the execution of the command has been completed, and returns to the main routine (Fig. 2) based on the end, and performs a command end process (step S4).

On the other hand, if there is a continuous request in step S33, the transfer robot 1 performs a report that the next command can be accepted to the control device 2 from the time of execution of the current command to the end (the content is the next command acceptable). Report) (step S35). When the timing of the report is not performed, the current command is executed while waiting for the timing. In addition, the term "end" as used herein means only the end of the substantive content of the command, and does not include returning to the origin position and completely stopping.

Specifically, a command includes a plurality of actions, such as sequentially rotating to a specified position, ascending, elongating, re-raising, accepting a workpiece, adsorbing, and causing a series of hand returns. Therefore, the transport robot 1 starts the operation of returning the hand, for example, and simultaneously reports that the next command can be accepted.

Upon receiving the report of the next command, the control device 2 writes the next command to the transport robot 1. When the writing is completed, the notification that the next command has been written is supplied to the transport robot 1. Therefore, the transport robot 1 waits for a notification that the next command has been written from the control device 2 (step S36), confirms that it has been written, returns to step S31, and reads the next command that has been written. After reading in, the transfer robot 1 starts executing the next command (step S32). However, the actual robot action is executed after the last action of the current command. For example, if the command currently being executed is moved in, the next command becomes contained in the furnace.

In this way, the next command can be written while waiting for the time required for the execution of one command to end, and can be read if it has been written. That is, the next executed command can be reserved. On the other hand, the "next command" read in is "current command", and the transfer robot 1 starts execution (step S32). Then, the transfer robot 1 performs a report for accepting the next command to the control device 2 until the end of the execution (step S35). When the timing of the report is not yet being performed, the current command is executed while waiting for the timing of the report. Then, the transfer robot 1 starts the last operation of the current command and simultaneously reports that the next command can be accepted (step S35).

For example, if the order of the commands executed is the A command, the B command, and the C command, the transport robot 1 accepts the writing of the B command during the execution of the A command (specifically, at the same time as the start of the last motion), and the writing ends. Then read it in. However, it is not performed until the C command is written. Then, the handling robot 1 executes the B command immediately after the A command. Further, the transport robot 1 accepts the writing of the C command during the execution of the B command (specifically, at the same time as the start of the last operation), and performs the reading after the writing is completed. In this way, a plurality of commands can be processed continuously while waiting for the next command. When a plurality of consecutive commands have been executed but there is no continuous request ("NO" in step S33), the transfer robot 1 waits for the execution of the last command to end (step S34), and returns to the main routine at the end ( Fig. 2), and the command end processing is performed (step S4).

In the transport robot apparatus as described above, the writing and reading of the next command (so-called pre-reading) are performed in parallel in the execution of the current command in sequence, and then the process is performed, and the handshake can be performed once. Execute multiple commands in succession. Therefore, the time required to execute the entire carrying step is shortened as compared with the case where each command is exchanged.

For example, it can be shortened by about 2 seconds as compared with the case where signals are exchanged from the time of loading to the respective commands stored in the cooling unit 7.

Further, the transport robot 1 performs the reading of the next command only when the mode indicating that the plurality of commands are continuously executed (the flag having the continuous request) has been received from the control device 2, and the information is not received. The execution of the current command is completed, whereby the determination as to whether or not the next command should be read can be made, and in the case where it is not continuous (separate), the wasted operation is not performed.

On the other hand, the transport robot 1 has an overlapping function. That is, even if it is returned to the origin position and has not completely stopped, the next command can be executed. By this overlapping function, since the next command can be executed when one command ends without being completely stopped, the time required to execute the entire carrying step is shortened. For example, it can be shortened by about 6 seconds as compared with the case where the commands from the loading to the cooling unit 7 should be exchanged and stopped completely every time. That is, when the shortening caused by the decrease in the number of handshakes is shortened, it can be shortened by about 8 seconds. For example, in two furnaces, when the processing time of the robotic device tact is 44 seconds, the processing amount is 3,928 pieces/one day, and when it is shortened by 8 seconds and becomes 36 seconds, the processing amount is 4,800 pieces/one day, and the productivity is improved. .

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the description is omitted. When the emergency stop operation is performed, the transfer robot 1 discards the execution of the current command and discards the next command. Therefore, the current and subsequent operations of the robot 1 can be stopped by the emergency stop.

1. . . Handling robot

2. . . Control device

3. . . cable

4. . . Moving in

5. . . First furnace body

6. . . Second furnace body

7. . . Cooling unit (moving unit)

Fig. 1 is a view showing a transfer robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a peripheral device.

Fig. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the transport robot.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing the details of the command processing (step S3) in Fig. 2 (sub-family).

Claims (2)

A transport robot apparatus characterized by comprising: a control device; and a transport robot capable of performing processing corresponding to a command indicated by a signal exchange with the control device, and reading the next in parallel during execution of the current command The command is executed after the current command, and the transport robot performs the reading of the next command only after receiving information indicating that the plurality of commands are continuously executed from the control device. In the case of information, it only ends when the current order is executed. The handling robot apparatus of claim 1, wherein the handling robot has an overlapping function, and when the execution of the command ends, the next command is executed without stopping completely.