WO2024135360A1

WO2024135360A1 - Control system

Info

Publication number: WO2024135360A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/043605
Authority: WO
Inventors: 楓武知; 靖啓衣笠
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2022-12-22
Filing date: 2023-12-06
Publication date: 2024-06-27
Also published as: CN118541650A

Abstract

The control system that controls equipment is provided with: a non-safety-related unit; and a safety-related unit that has a master board and a slave board for initial communication, complies with ISO13849-1 Category 3, and executes a predetermined process by using safety-related parameters. The master board is caused to execute an initial transmission process for transmitting the safety-related parameters to the slave board for initial communication from the time when power is applied to the non-safety-related unit and the safety-related unit to the time when communication between the non-safety-related unit and the safety-related unit starts.

Description

Control System

This disclosure relates to a control system that controls equipment such as robots.

Patent document 1 discloses a control system for controlling equipment.

JP 2018-136715 A

In a control system that controls equipment, it is conceivable to provide a master board and a slave board as safety-related parts that comply with standards such as ISO 13849-1 Category 3, and to transfer safety-related parameters stored on the master board to the slave board when the power is turned on. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to eliminate the need to set safety-related parameters on the slave board.

However, in such a control system, if all safety-related parameters used by the slave board are sent from the master board to the slave board after communication between the non-safety-related and safety-related parts has begun, the preparation time from when the power is turned on until the slave board is able to execute processing using the safety-related parameters will be long.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to shorten the preparation time required from when the power is turned on until the slave board of the safety-related part is able to execute processing using safety-related parameters in a control system having a non-safety-related part and a safety-related part having a master board and a slave board.

In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure provides a control system for controlling equipment, the system comprising a non-safety-related part, a master board, and an initial communication target slave board, the safety-related part conforming to Category 3 of ISO 13849-1 and executing a predetermined process using safety-related parameters, the master board executing an initial transmission process for transmitting safety-related parameters to the initial communication target slave board between the time when the non-safety-related part and the safety-related part are powered on and the time when communication between the non-safety-related part and the safety-related part starts.

This allows the master board of the safety-related part to perform initial transmission processing in parallel with the processing performed before the non-safety-related part starts communicating with the safety-related part, shortening the preparation time required from power-on until the slave board with which the safety-related part is initially communicating can perform processing using safety-related parameters.

This disclosure makes it possible to reduce the preparation time required from when the power is turned on until the slave board in the safety-related section is able to execute processing using safety-related parameters.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a robot control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main part of a robot control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a communication sequence diagram illustrating an operation of the robot control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when the robot control system is powered on. FIG. 4 is a communication sequence diagram illustrating an operation subsequent to the operation shown in FIG. 3 when the robot control system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is powered on. FIG. 5 is a communication sequence diagram illustrating an operation of a robot control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure after transition from a normal mode to a setting change mode.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present invention, its applications, or its uses.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a robot control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This robot control system 1 controls a robot 2 as a device.

The robot control system 1 has a teach pendant 3, an area sensor 4, and a controller 5.

The robot 2 has nine motors 21 and nine encoders 22 that detect and output the position of the rotation axis of the corresponding motor 21. Some of the motors 21 and encoders 22 are not shown in FIG. 1. Each robot 2 is a six-axis robot with six rotary joints, and six of the nine motors 21 are motors that rotate the rotary joints, and three motors 21 are motors for external axes (not shown).

The teach pendant 3 has an input unit 31, an operation input board 32 as a non-initial communication target slave board, a TP side communication board 33, and a display unit 34.

The input unit 31 accepts input from a user and outputs an input signal corresponding to the input.

The operation input board 32 generates operation input information based on the input signal output by the input unit 31, and transmits it to the TP side communication board 33 using the communication method specified in IEC 61784-3.

The TP-side communication board 33 receives the operation input information sent by the operation input board 32 and sends it to the controller 5 via the communication medium M. The TP-side communication board 33 is a non-safety-related part that does not comply with standards such as ISO 13849-1 Category 3 and has not been certified for safety standards. In addition, the TP-side communication board 33 causes the display unit 34 to display a specified message.

The display unit 34 is configured, for example, with a liquid crystal display. The display unit 34 outputs a display screen according to a signal from the TP side communication board 33.

The area sensor 4 outputs a detection result indicating whether or not a person is within the working range of the robot 2.

The controller 5 controls the robot 2. The controller 5 includes a main control board 51, a sensor input board 52 as a non-initial communication target slave board, a monitoring board 53 as an initial communication target slave board, a notification board 54 as a master board, a motor control unit 55, and nine amplifiers 56.

The main control board 51 receives the signal output by the teach pendant 3. The main control board 51 stores safety-related parameters corresponding to this signal in a non-volatile memory (not shown). The main control board 51 then outputs the safety-related parameters stored in the non-volatile memory. The main control board 51 is a non-safety-related part that does not comply with standards such as ISO 13849-1 Category 3 and has not been certified for safety standards.

The sensor input board 52 generates sensor input information that indicates the detection results output by the area sensor 4.

The monitoring board 53 generates and outputs monitoring information based on the output of the nine corresponding encoders 22, which indicates whether or not the safety conditions are met, that is, the positions (angles) of the rotation shafts of the nine motors 21 that rotate the rotary joints are within a safety area and the speeds of the rotation shafts of the nine motors 21 are less than the speed limit. The monitoring board 53 also refers to a notification signal (described below) output by the notification board 54, and if the notification signal is at a low level, outputs a stop signal to the amplifier 56, thereby bringing the robot 2 to an emergency stop.

The notification board 54 can perform a reception process to receive operation input information, sensor input information, and monitoring information, and a notification signal output process to generate a notification signal related to the robot 2 based on this information and output it to the outside.

The motor control unit 55 controls the nine motors 21 by controlling the nine amplifiers 56.

The amplifier 56 stops the motor 21 when a stop signal is output from the monitoring board 53. When a stop signal is not output from the monitoring board 53, the amplifier 56 can rotate the motor 21 under the control of the motor control unit 55.

The operation input board 32, the sensor input board 52, the monitoring board 53, and the notification board 54 are safety-related parts that comply with Category 3 of ISO 13849-1 and execute predetermined processing using safety-related parameters. The operation input board 32, the sensor input board 52, the monitoring board 53, and the notification board 54 are certified for Category 3 of ISO 13849-1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the notification board 54 has two master processors 54a and 54b, non-volatile memories 54c and 54d corresponding to the master processors 54a and 54b, and volatile memories 54e and 54f corresponding to the master processors 54a and 54b. That is, the notification board 54 has two non-volatile memories 54c and 54d. Each master processor 54a and 54b receives the safety-related parameters from the main control board 51 and stores them in the non-volatile memories 54c and 54d corresponding to the master processors 54a and 54b. In addition, each master processor 54a and 54b reads the safety-related parameters from the non-volatile memories 54c and 54d, and transfers the safety-related parameters to the monitoring board 53, the sensor input board 52, and the operation input board 32 with the test data attached. The test data is a CRC value of a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check). Additionally, each of the master processors 54a and 54b executes a first calculation process using a portion of the safety-related parameters stored in the corresponding non-volatile memory 54c and 54d. The first calculation process includes the above-mentioned notification signal output process that generates a notification signal for controlling the robot 2.

Each master processor 54a, 54b further determines whether the first calculated value obtained in the first calculation process matches the first calculated value output by the other master processor 54a, 54b. The first calculated value is a result of the first calculation process, or a calculated value obtained during the first calculation process. If the first calculated value obtained by the master processor 54a, 54b matches the first calculated value obtained by the other master processor 54a, 54b, each master processor 54a, 54b continues processing as is, but if they do not match a predetermined number of times, it stops the robot 2.

The monitoring board 53 has two first slave processors 53a, 53b and volatile memories 53c, 53d corresponding to each of the first slave processors 53a, 53b. Each of the first slave processors 53a, 53b executes a reception process to receive the safety-related parameters transferred by the master processors 54a, 54b of the notification board 54 together with the inspection data, and stores the safety-related parameters received in the reception process in the corresponding volatile memory 53c, 53d. Each of the first slave processors 53a, 53b further executes a second calculation process using the safety-related parameters stored in the corresponding volatile memory 53c, 53d. The second calculation process includes the above-mentioned process of generating the monitoring information, and the process of generating the stop signal based on the notification signal from the notification board 54.

Each first slave processor 53a, 53b further determines whether the second calculated value obtained in the second calculation process matches the second calculated value output by the other first slave processor 53a, 53b. The second calculated value is a result of the second calculation process, or a calculated value obtained during the second calculation process. Each first slave processor 53a, 53b continues processing if the second calculated value obtained by the first slave processor 53a, 53b matches the second calculated value obtained by the other first slave processor 53a, 53b, but stops the robot 2 if they do not match a predetermined number of times.

The sensor input board 52 has two second slave processors 52a, 52b and volatile memories 52c, 52d corresponding to each of the second slave processors 52a, 52b. Each of the second slave processors 52a, 52b executes a reception process to receive the safety-related parameters transferred by the master processors 54a, 54b of the notification board 54 together with the inspection data, and stores the safety-related parameters received in the reception process in the corresponding volatile memory 52c, 52d. Each of the second slave processors 52a, 52b further executes a third calculation process using the safety-related parameters.

Each second slave processor 52a, 52b further determines whether the third calculated value obtained in the third calculation process matches the third calculated value output by the other second slave processor 52a, 52b. The third calculated value is a result of the third calculation process, or a calculated value obtained during the third calculation process. Each second slave processor 52a, 52b continues processing if the third calculated value obtained by the second slave processor 52a, 52b matches the third calculated value obtained by the other second slave processor 52a, 52b, but stops the robot 2 if they do not match a predetermined number of times.

The operation input board 32 has two third slave processors 32a, 32b and volatile memories 32c, 32d corresponding to each of the third slave processors 32a, 32b. Each of the third slave processors 32a, 32b executes a reception process to receive the safety-related parameters transferred by the master processors 54a, 54b of the notification board 54 together with the inspection data via the main control board 51 and the TP side communication board 33. Each of the third slave processors 32a, 32b stores the safety-related parameters received in the reception process in the corresponding volatile memory 32c, 32d. Each of the third slave processors 32a, 32b further executes a fourth calculation process using the safety-related parameters.

Each third slave processor 32a, 32b further determines whether the fourth calculated value obtained in the fourth calculation process matches the fourth calculated value output by the other third slave processor 32a, 32b. The fourth calculated value is a result of the fourth calculation process, or a calculated value obtained during the fourth calculation process. Each third slave processor 32a, 32b continues processing if the fourth calculated value obtained by that third slave processor 32a, 32b matches the fourth calculated value obtained by the other third slave processor 32a, 32b, but stops the robot 2 if they do not match a predetermined number of times.

The operation of the robot control system 1 configured as described above when it is powered on will now be described with reference to the communication sequence diagrams in Figures 3 and 4.

First, when the power is turned on to the teach pendant 3 and the controller 5, in S101, the main control board 51 and the motor control unit 55 send and receive information to establish communication between them. Next, in S102, the main control board 51 and the TP side communication board 33 send and receive information to establish communication between them.

Meanwhile, in parallel with the processes of S101 and S102, in S103, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 execute an initial transmission process to transmit the first safety-related parameter together with the first inspection data to the first slave processors 53a and 53b of the monitoring board 53. The first safety-related parameter is a safety-related parameter used by the monitoring board 53. Then, in S104, the first slave processors 53a and 53b of the monitoring board 53 receive the first safety-related parameter together with the first inspection data, and perform a CRC calculation on the received first safety-related parameter. Specifically, the first slave processors 53a and 53b of the monitoring board 53 calculate the remainder when the first safety-related parameter is divided by a predetermined constant (generator polynomial) as the first CRC value. Then, it checks whether the calculated first CRC value matches the first test data received from the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54, and if the first CRC value matches the first test data, it transmits information indicating that the transmission process was successful to the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54. The process when the first CRC value does not match the test data is omitted here.

When the processes of S102 and S104 are completed, the robot control system 1 executes a ready information sharing process of S200. In S200, first, in S201, the main control board 51 transmits main ready information to the notification board 54. Next, in S202, the notification board 54 transmits ready information to the operation input board 32. In response, in S203, the operation input board 32 returns information indicating the version of the operation input board 32 to the notification board 54. Furthermore, in S204, the notification board 54 transmits ready information to the monitoring board 53. In response, in S205, the monitoring board 53 returns information indicating the version of the monitoring board 53 to the notification board 54. Similarly, in S206, the notification board 54 also transmits ready information to the sensor input board 52. In response to this, in S207, the sensor input board 52 returns information indicating the version of the sensor input board 52, etc., to the notification board 54. Then, in S208, the notification board 54 returns information indicating the versions of the operation input board 32, the monitoring board 53, and the sensor input board 52, etc., to the main control board 51, and the ready information sharing process ends.

Next, the robot control system 1 executes a parameter sharing process of S300. In S300, first, in S301, the main control board 51 transmits the second safety-related parameters together with the second inspection data to the notification board 54. The second safety-related parameters include the safety-related parameters used by the operation input board 32 and the safety-related parameters used by the sensor input board 52. Next, in S302, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 receive the second safety-related parameters and perform a CRC calculation on the received second safety-related parameters. Specifically, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 calculate the remainder of dividing the second safety-related parameters by a predetermined constant (generator polynomial) as the second CRC value. Then, it checks whether the calculated second CRC value matches the second test data received from the main control board 51, and if the second CRC value matches the second test data, it transmits information indicating that the transmission process was successful to the main control board 51. The process when the second CRC value does not match the second test data is omitted here. Next, in S303, the main control board 51 transmits the second safety-related parameters to the notification board 54 (third transmission process).

Then, in S304, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 receive the second safety-related parameter transmitted in S303 from the main control board 51. Then, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 transmit the third safety-related parameter together with the third inspection data to the operation input board 32 (fourth transmission process). The third safety-related parameter is a safety-related parameter among the second safety-related parameters that is used by the operation input board 32. Next, in S305, the third slave processors 32a and 32b of the operation input board 32 receive the third safety-related parameter and perform a CRC calculation on the received third safety-related parameter. Specifically, the third slave processors 32a and 32b of the operation input board 32 calculate the remainder of dividing the third safety-related parameter by a predetermined constant (generator polynomial) as the third CRC value. Then, it checks whether the calculated third CRC value matches the third test data received from the notification board 54, and if the third CRC value matches the third test data, it transmits information indicating that the transmission process was successful to the notification board 54. The process when the third CRC value does not match the third test data is omitted here.

Next, in S306, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 transmit the ID (Identification) of the final frame and the inspection data for the ID to the monitoring board 53 (fifth transmission process). The ID of the final frame is predetermined dummy data. In other words, the data transmitted by the notification board 54 to the monitoring board 53 in S306 does not include the safety-related parameters transmitted in the initial transmission process. In response to this, in S307, the first slave processors 53a and 53b of the monitoring board 53 receive the ID of the final frame and perform a CRC calculation on the received ID of the final frame. Specifically, the first slave processors 53a and 53b of the monitoring board 53 calculate the remainder when the ID of the final frame is divided by a predetermined constant (generator polynomial) as the CRC value for the ID. It then checks whether the calculated CRC value for ID matches the ID test data received from the notification board 54, and if the CRC value for ID matches the ID test data, it transmits information indicating that the transmission process was successful to the notification board 54. The process when the CRC value for ID does not match the ID test data is omitted here.

Next, in S308, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 transmit the fourth safety-related parameter together with the fourth test data to the sensor input board 52 (fourth transmission process). The fourth safety-related parameter is a safety-related parameter among the second safety-related parameters that is used by the sensor input board 52. Next, in S309, the second slave processors 52a and 52b of the sensor input board 52 perform a CRC calculation on the received fourth safety-related parameter. Specifically, the second slave processors 52a and 52b of the sensor input board 52 calculate the remainder of dividing the fourth safety-related parameter by a predetermined constant (generator polynomial) as the fourth CRC value. Then, it is checked whether the calculated fourth CRC value matches the fourth test data received from the notification board 54, and if the fourth CRC value matches the fourth test data, information indicating that the transmission process was successful is transmitted to the notification board 54. The process for when the fourth CRC value does not match the fourth check data will be omitted here.

Next, in S310, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 send information to the main control board 51 indicating that deployment of safety-related parameters has been completed.

At this time, the robot control system 1 is in the startup mode. In this state, the robot control system 1 then executes the mode transition process of S400. In S400, first, in S401, the main control board 51 instructs the notification board 54 to transition from the current mode to the normal mode. In response, in S402, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 instruct the operation input board 32 to transition to a mode, and in S403, instruct the monitoring board 53 to transition to a mode. In addition, in S404, the first slave processors 53a and 53b of the monitoring board 53 instruct the sensor input board 52 to transition to a mode. Next, in S405, the first slave processors 53a and 53b of the monitoring board 53 transmit information to the notification board 54 indicating that they have successfully received the mode transition instruction. In addition, in S406, the second slave processors 52a and 52b of the sensor input board 52 transmit information indicating that they have successfully received the mode transition instruction to the notification board 54. Furthermore, in S407, the third slave processors 32a and 32b of the operation input board 32 transmit information indicating that they have successfully received the mode transition instruction to the notification board 54. This causes the robot control system 1 to transition to the normal mode.

In normal mode, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 transmit a heartbeat to the sensor input board 52 in S408, transmit a heartbeat to the monitoring board 53 in S409, and transmit a heartbeat to the operation input board 32 in S410. Then, in S411, the first slave processors 53a and 53b of the monitoring board 53 transmit a signal indicating that they have received the heartbeat to the notification board 54. In addition, in S412, the second slave processors 52a and 52b of the sensor input board 52 also transmit a signal indicating that they have received the heartbeat to the notification board 54. Furthermore, in S413, the third slave processors 32a and 32b of the operation input board 32 also transmit a signal indicating that they have received the heartbeat to the notification board 54. Thereafter, in S414, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 transmit a heartbeat to the main control board 51. In response, in S415, the main control board 51 sends a signal to the notification board 54 indicating that a heartbeat has been received. In normal mode, the operations of S408 to S415 are repeated at predetermined time intervals.

The operation of the robot control system 1 after transitioning from normal mode to setting change mode will be explained with reference to the communication sequence diagram in Figure 5.

After the robot control system 1 transitions from normal mode to setting change mode, in S501, the user inputs into the input unit 31 to specify safety-related parameters, and the operation input board 32 generates operation input information based on the input signal output by the input unit 31 and transmits it to the TP-side communication board 33. The TP-side communication board 33 then transmits the fifth safety-related parameter and fifth test data specified by the user's input to the main control board 51 and sets them. In response, in S502, the main control board 51 transmits the fifth safety-related parameter and fifth test data to the notification board 54 (first transmission process) and also makes a request to erase/rewrite the parameters. In response to this, in S503, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 receive the fifth safety-related parameter and the fifth test data transmitted in S502 from the main control board 51 (second transmission process), and perform a CRC calculation on the received fifth safety-related parameter. Specifically, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 calculate the remainder obtained by dividing the fifth safety-related parameter by a predetermined constant (generator polynomial) as a fifth CRC value. Then, it is checked whether the calculated fifth CRC value matches the fifth test data received from the main control board 51, and if the fifth CRC value matches the fifth test data, the past parameters stored in the non-volatile memories 54c and 54d are erased, and the fifth safety-related parameter is written to the non-volatile memories 54c and 54d. Then, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 send information to the main control board 51 indicating that the parameter erasure/rewriting has been completed.

Then, in S504, the main control board 51 transmits the fifth safety-related parameter to the TP-side communication board 33. In response, in S505, the TP-side communication board 33 receives the safety-related parameters transmitted in S504 and displays them on the display unit 34. When the user confirms that the safety-related parameters displayed on the display unit 34 are the same as the safety-related parameters input in S501, the user performs a predetermined input to the input unit 31. Then, the operation input board 32 generates operation input information based on the input signal output by the input unit 31 and transmits it to the TP-side communication board 33. In response, the TP-side communication board 33 transmits information indicating that the confirmation has been completed to the main control board 51. Next, in S506, the main control board 51 transmits information indicating that the confirmation has been completed to the notification board 54. Then, in S507, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 transmit the fifth safety-related parameter and the test data stored in the non-volatile memories 54c and 54d to the monitoring board 53 (second transmission process). The test data transmitted here is the CRC value at the time of reading (the CRC value that matches the fifth CRC value). In response to this, in S508, the first slave processors 53a and 53b of the monitoring board 53 receive the fifth safety-related parameter and the test data from the notification board 54 and perform a CRC calculation on the received fifth safety-related parameter. Specifically, the first slave processors 53a and 53b of the monitoring board 53 calculate the remainder of dividing the fifth safety-related parameter by a predetermined constant (generator polynomial) as the sixth CRC value. Then, it checks whether the calculated sixth CRC value matches the test data received from the notification board 54, and if it matches the sixth CRC value, it transmits information indicating that the transmission process was successful to the notification board 54. Then, in S509, the master processors 54a and 54b of the notification board 54 transmit information indicating that the transmission of the safety-related parameters has been completed to the main control board 51. Also, in S510, the TP-side communication board 33 transmits information indicating that the setting of the safety-related parameters has been completed to the main control board 51.

The robot control system 1 then executes the ready information sharing process of S200, the parameter sharing process of S300, and the mode transition process of S400 in that order. In the mode transition process of S400, the mode transition occurs from the setting change mode to the normal mode. The parameter sharing process of S300 in FIG. 5, which is executed after S501 to S510, is executed by causing each unit to execute a program common to the parameter sharing process of S300 in FIG. 3, which is executed after S101 to S104. In other words, the third transmission process, the fourth transmission process, and the fifth transmission process of S300 are executed by causing each unit to execute a program common to the parameter sharing process of S300 in FIG. 3, which is executed after S101 to S104, after the initial transmission process (S103) and after the second transmission process (S503).

According to this embodiment, as described above, in the period between when the non-safety-related parts and the safety-related parts are powered on and when communication between the non-safety-related parts and the safety-related parts is started, the notification board 54 executes an initial transmission process in S103 to transmit safety-related parameters to the monitoring board 53. The notification board 54 can execute this initial transmission process in S103 in parallel with the processes in S101 and S102 that are executed before the main control board 51, which is a non-safety-related part, starts communication with the notification board 54, which is a safety-related part. Therefore, in the parameter sharing process in S300, the notification board 54 does not need to transmit safety-related parameters to the monitoring board 53. In this embodiment, in the parameter sharing process in S300, the notification board 54 transmits only predetermined dummy data to the monitoring board 53. Therefore, the preparation time required from when the power is turned on until the monitoring board 53, which is a safety-related part, can execute processing using safety-related parameters can be shortened.

In addition, after only the safety-related parameters used by the monitoring board 53 are changed by the processes of S501 to S510, in the parameter sharing process of S300, the notification board 54 only transmits predetermined dummy data to the monitoring board 53, and does not transmit any safety-related parameters. Therefore, the time it takes for the robot control system 1 to transition from the normal mode to the setting change mode and then return to the normal mode can be shortened, compared to the case where all the safety-related parameters used by the monitoring board 53 are transmitted in the parameter sharing process of S300.

In addition, because the safety-related parameters are transmitted from the master processors 54a and 54b to the first slave processors 53a and 53b, the second slave processors 52a and 52b, and the third slave processors 32a and 32b, it is not necessary to provide non-volatile memory for storing the safety-related parameters in the monitoring board 53, the sensor input board 52, and the operation input board 32. Therefore, compared to providing non-volatile memory in all of the notification board 54, the monitoring board 53, the sensor input board 52, and the operation input board 32, the risk of failure of the non-volatile memory can be reduced and costs can be reduced.

In addition, since the monitoring board 53, the sensor input board 52, and the operation input board 32 are not provided with non-volatile memory for storing safety-related parameters, the user does not need to set the safety-related parameters or check whether the safety-related parameters have been correctly set in the non-volatile memory on the monitoring board 53, the sensor input board 52, and the operation input board 32. Therefore, the effort required for setting and checking the safety-related parameters can be reduced compared to when non-volatile memory is provided on all of the notification board 54, the monitoring board 53, the sensor input board 52, and the operation input board 32.

The control system disclosed herein can reduce the preparation time required from when the power is turned on until the slave board of the safety-related section can execute processing using safety-related parameters, and is useful as a control system for controlling equipment such as robots.

1. Robot control system
2. Robot (equipment)
32 Operation input board (safety-related part, non-initial communication target slave board)
33 TP side communication board (non-safety related part)
51 Main control board (non-safety related parts)
53 Monitoring board (safety-related part, initial communication target slave board)
52 Sensor input board (safety-related part, non-initial communication target slave board)
54 Notification board (safety-related parts, master board)

Claims

A control system for controlling an apparatus, comprising:
Non-safety related departments,
a safety-related unit that has a master board and an initial communication target slave board, complies with Category 3 of ISO 13849-1, and executes a predetermined process using safety-related parameters;
A control system characterized in that the master board executes an initial transmission process to transmit safety-related parameters to the initial communication target slave board between the time when power is applied to the non-safety-related part and the safety-related part and the time when communication between the non-safety-related part and the safety-related part is started.
2. The control system of claim 1,
The safety-related unit further includes a non-initial communication target slave board,
when a user inputs a safety-related parameter to the non-safety-related unit, the non-safety-related unit executes a first transmission process of transmitting the safety-related parameter designated by the input to the master board;
When the first transmission process is executed, the master board executes a second transmission process to receive the safety-related parameters transmitted in the first transmission process from the non-safety-related part and transmit the safety-related parameters to the initial communication target slave board;
After the initial transmission process and after the second transmission process, the non-safety-related unit executes a third transmission process of transmitting safety-related parameters to the master board, and when the third transmission process has been executed, the master board executes a fourth transmission process of receiving the safety-related parameters transmitted in the third transmission process from the non-safety-related unit and transmitting the same to the non-initial communication target slave board, and a fifth transmission process of transmitting data not including the safety-related parameters transmitted in the initial transmission process to the initial communication target slave board;
a control system characterized in that the third transmission process, the fourth transmission process, and the fifth transmission process are executed by executing a common program after the initial transmission process and after the second transmission process.