JPH06320456A - Industrial robot - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] Providing arithmetic means for simplifying the operation teaching to the robot 1 even when the work W processed by the industrial robot (palletizer) 1 or the pallet loading position is changed. To do. Therefore, a robot mechanical teaching point R _{0 is set in} a robot operation teaching device 7 for loading a work W conveyed from the conveyor 2 on a pallet 4 in a predetermined pattern.
To the work handling origin W ₀ and the distance from the origin W ₀ to the pallet reference position P ₀ to each work W _{1 to} W ₇ position to be loaded on the pallet 4 are separately managed and stored. The robot operation data is calculated by the calculation means 14 for each loading position by inputting, and is read into the operation data file 18.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an industrial robot for grasping conveyed articles by a grasping means and loading them at another predetermined position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a warehouse of a product manufacturing factory,
For holding an article (work) such as a product storage cardboard case conveyed from a conveyer such as a conveyor by a robot palletizer (or a manipulator), for example, to load it on a pallet or the like in a predetermined stacking pattern, In this type of robot palletizer having at least two or more degrees of freedom, as the position data to the pallet for loading one type of work, the dimension of the robot having at least the number of works to be loaded on the pallet. Multiple position data is required.

Further, it is usually necessary to teach the robot the operation of these position data, and when handling many kinds of workpieces, the teaching data becomes enormous and the teaching work requires a long time. Furthermore, as the data taught by the robot, data of the shortest distance from the origin position waiting for gripping the work to the loading position on the pallet is created as one position data. Further, each data thus created is stored in the storage means in the controller of the robot so that it can be repeatedly used.

In order to make up for the problems in the above-described type of robot teaching work, there is a conventional method, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-2.
Japanese Patent No. 95771 proposes and discloses an industrial robot apparatus having a stowage position determining means having means for performing stowage information on a pallet by calculation.

The stowage position determining means is a personal computer (abbreviated as a personal computer) connected to a robot control, in which a control unit for palletizing work is accommodated, and types of works, stowage patterns, pallet types, etc. Information is input to the work acceptance means, and based on this information, necessary data is extracted from the stowage pattern file, work information file, pallet information file (definition file), etc., and stow operation processing is performed. After confirming the presence or absence of work interference by the stacking confirmation means, the robot work is started based on the data.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional proposal examples, when the installation position of the robot or the installation position of the pallet is changed due to the change or movement of the related equipment, It does not matter if the positional relationship between the robot and the pallet body is unchanged from before movement,
Even if some changes are made to these set positions, it is necessary to re-instruct the position data, and the already created data becomes unusable. A huge amount of time has been conventionally required for work.

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and provides a stowage operation means of this kind which can be executed by a relatively simple method even when the above re-teaching is necessary. It is an object.

[0008]

Therefore, according to the present invention, in an industrial robot that sequentially transfers workpieces from a predetermined position onto a pallet at another position in a predetermined stacking pattern, from the mechanical origin of the robot. The distance (coordinates) from the handling origin for gripping the work, the distance (coordinates) from the handling origin to the pallet reference point, and the distance from the pallet reference point to a predetermined position of the work loaded on the pallet. A means for separately managing and storing each loading data file with (coordinates), a data input means for changing each loading data, and a computing means for computing each loading position are provided. Each of the loading data files is created for each type of work, and when the work and / or the loading position is changed, By configuring to use as the operation data of the robot to the appropriate loading data files by using the operation means, it is intended to achieve the object.

[0009]

With the conventional apparatus configuration according to the present invention as described above, when the type of work, the installation position of the pallet, the work stacking pattern, or the like is changed, not only the teaching data can be changed but also the teaching data can be changed. Can be reused.

[0010]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below based on examples.

(Structure) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic structure of an embodiment of a robot palletizer according to the present invention. 1
Is a robot palletizer, 2 is a conveyor into which a work is loaded, 3 is a gripping means such as a clamp for gripping the work, 4 is a pallet for transferring the work, 5
Is a work positioning means for positioning the work at a predetermined position on the pallet 4, 6 is a controller for controlling the motion of the robot, and 7 is a robot motion teaching device.

FIG. 2 shows a basic block diagram of the position data conversion program in this embodiment. As the reference position of the robot operation, each coordinate position of the mechanical (target) origin R _{0 of} the robot 1 shown in FIG. 1, the workpiece handling origin W _0, and the pallet (installation) reference position P ₀ is shown.

In FIG. 2, 11 is a distance (coordinate) input means from the machine origin R ₀ of the robot 1 to the work handling origin W ₀ , and 12 is the work handling origin W.
A distance (coordinates) input means from ₀ to the reference position P ₀ where the pallet 4 is installed, and 13 is a position (coordinates) where the work is actually installed on the pallet 4 from the pallet reference position P _0.
Is an input means.

Further, 20 is each of the input means 11, 12,
Loading data file creating means for converting the data input from 13 into new loading data files, and 15 is the robot machine origin R ₀ by the input means 11.
From the work handling origin W ₀ to the work handling origin W ₀ , a distance data file B from the work handling origin W ₀ to the pallet reference position P ₀ by the input means 12, and 17 a pallet reference position P from the input means 13. The distance data file C from ₀ to the position where the work is actually installed is shown.

Reference numeral 14 denotes each data file A,
Robot 1 using each data of B, C 15, 16, 17
Is an operation data file for storing each operation data calculated by the operation means 14, and 19 is an operation data file for referring to the data file 18. The operation means for is shown.

(Operation) FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation sequence of the teaching program shown in FIG. 2, and FIG.
The loading position relationship of each device and each work in the loading pattern of the case of _seven rectangular parallelepiped works W _{1 to} W _{7 having} the same size is 2
The detailed view before conversion (a) and after conversion (b) respectively expressed in a dimension plane is shown.

First, in FIG. 3, when the above program is started, in step S1, the distance (coordinates) (X ₀ , Y ₀ ) from the machine origin R ₀ of the robot 1 to the work handling origin W ₀ , the handling origin. Distance (coordinates) from W ₀ to pallet reference position P ₀ (X ₁ , Y ₁ )
And the distance (coordinates) from the pallet reference position P ₀ to the loading position of each work, each coordinate (X _W1 , Y _W1 ); (X _W2 ,
Y _W2 ); ... (X _Wn , Y _Wn ) (n = 7 in this case)
Is input by the respective input means 11, 12, 13, and the data files A, B, C, 15, 16, 17 are created by the loading data file creation means 20, or if already created, Each data file A, B,
C, 15, 16, 17 are read from the storage means.

Next, in step S2, the respective coordinates (X ₀ , Y ₀ ); (X ₁ , Y ₁ ) and the respective (X _Wn ,
Y _Wn ) is added to develop n data. That is, the handling origin W ₀ of each work W _n
If the distance from to the work setting position is (X _Dn , Y _Dn ), the respective coordinates are Then, in step S3, the above data is used as robot motion data, Is written in each data file 15, 16, 17.

When these work files are converted into robot motion data as described above, the robot motion path becomes 2
Coordinates and coordinate distances of two points can be described by the shortest path. FIG. 4 is a plan explanatory view of a diagram before (a) and a diagram after (b) when n = 7.

(Other Embodiments) The above embodiments have been described with respect to a two-dimensional case. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples, and the machine origin of the robot, the handling origin of the work, and the pallet reference position. Etc. can be changed arbitrarily. Similarly, three-dimensional distances (coordinates) can also be directly converted, and various methods can be used depending on the installation position of each device.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that these arithmetic means can transfer the robot operation data, which is the internal processing in the robot controller or the computer, to the robot controller for use.

In the case of the three-dimensional case, in the robot, the movement data from the work handling position to the pallet reference position may be described by a plurality of motion data. In that case, a sequence flowchart of the calculation method is shown in FIG. As shown in, the position change can be dealt with by adding the changed data to the first used operation of the data described in plural.

That is, in step S4 of FIG.
Workpiece handling origin W palette reference point P ₀ is from ₀
Up to a plurality of these distances (coordinates), the first data (X _P1 , Y _P1 , Z _P1 ) second data (X _P2 , Y _P2 , Z _P2 ) third data (X _P3 , Y _P3 , Z _P3 ) If the position change data is (X ₁ , Y ₁ , Z ₁ ), this position change amount is added to the first data in step S5, and the first data (X ₁ + X _P1 , Y _{1 1} + Y _P1 , Z ₁ +
Z _P1 ) Second data (X _P2 , Y _P2 , Z _P2 ) Third data (X _P3 , Y _P3 , Z _P3 )

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the palletizing device of this type is moved or changed, the robot is re-instructed for position data of a plurality of works. Loading can be done without need.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the basic configuration of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the basic configuration of a position data conversion program.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a teaching program operation sequence of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a two-dimensional plan view of a loading pattern.

FIG. 5 is a calculation method sequence flowchart of a three-dimensional embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Industrial Robot (Robot Palletizer) 2 Conveyor 3 Grasping Means 4 Pallet 5 Work Positioning Means 6 Controller 7 Teaching Device 11, 12, 13 Loading Data Input Means 14 Computing Means 15, 16, 17 Loading Data Files (Data File A, B, C) 18 operation data file 19 operation means 20 loading data file creation means P ₀ Pallet reference position R ₀ Robot machine origin W ₀ Work handling origin W _{1 to} W ₇ Work X, Y, Z Work position coordinates

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. In an industrial robot that sequentially transfers works from a predetermined position onto a pallet at another position in a predetermined stacking pattern, the distance (coordinates) from a mechanical origin of the robot to a handling origin for gripping the works. ), The distance (coordinates) from the handling origin to the pallet reference point, and the distance (coordinates) from the pallet reference point to a predetermined position of the work loaded on the pallet, separately for each loading data file. An industrial robot comprising: a means for managing and storing, a data input means for changing each of the loading data, and a computing means for computing each stowage position. 2. Each of the loading data files is created for each type of the work, and when the work and / or the stowage position is changed, the corresponding loading data file of the robot is calculated by using the computing means. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein the industrial robot is configured to be used as motion data.