Electricity: motive power systems – Positional servo systems – Program- or pattern-controlled systems
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-10
2001-04-17
Masih, Karen (Department: 2837)
Electricity: motive power systems
Positional servo systems
Program- or pattern-controlled systems
C318S567000, C318S569000, C318S568210, C901S015000, C700S247000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06218802
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a robot control unit with which a user can easily make teaching data for a robot body having a plurality of joints.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical conventional prior art is shown in
FIG. 10. A
robot body
110
having a plurality of joints is connected to a robot control unit
120
through a electric signal line
111
. A teach-inputting means
130
, which is called a teaching pendant or the like, is connected to the robot control unit
120
through a bendable electric signal line
121
. By operating the teach-inputting means
130
, teaching data for positions of the plurality of joints are inputted, while the robot body
110
actually moves. The inputted teaching data are replayed by the robot control unit
120
to drive each of the joints of the robot body
110
. The control unit
120
may have displaying means
122
such as a cathode-ray tube screen, for displaying the inputted teaching data and information of moving states of the robot body
110
.
The robot control unit
120
may have a choosing switch
140
. As shown in
FIG. 10A
, the choosing switch
140
has a knob
141
, which an operator turns for choosing one from teaching operation mode by the teach-inputting means
130
and replaying operation mode for the robot body
110
using the teaching data.
FIG. 11
is a block diagram showing a electrical structure of the prior art shown in FIG.
10
. The robot control unit
120
is constructed in such a manner that processing means
150
and a servo unit
160
are accommodated in one housing.
FIG. 12
a flow chart for explaining a general operation of the prior art shown in
FIGS. 10 and 11
. As shown in the
FIG. 12
, at a step a
1
, a power supply is given to the robot control unit, and the teaching operation mode where a teaching operation can be executed is chosen by turning the knob
141
of the choosing switch
140
. The choosing switch
140
is connected to a processing circuit
151
which can be materialized by a microcomputer in the processing means
150
. The replaying operation for the robot body
110
is prohibited in a step a
2
.
At a step a
3
, a key-input panel
131
of the teach-inputting means
130
is operated. Then, the operation is detected by a processing circuit
132
of a microcomputer. Then, information about the teaching data is displayed by the displaying means
133
which can be materialized by a liquid crystal screen, and is temporarily stored in a memory
134
. Then, the information is stored in a memory
152
in the processing means
150
through a line
121
. Operating data of the processing circuit
151
are stored in a read-only-memory
153
. Following the inputted teaching data, a processing circuit
161
of a microcomputer in a servo unit
160
executes programs stored in a read-only-memory
162
to temporarily store the teaching data in a memory
163
. Thus, a driver
164
is controlled so that the positions of the joints are consistent with the inputted positions. A power output circuit
165
drives a motor
112
in the robot body
110
through a electric signal line
111
. The positions of the joints are detected by encoders
113
and transmitted to the processing circuit
161
, so that the joints are driven following the teach-inputting operation. During the teach-inputting operation, the robot body
110
actually moves and the operator can confirm the moving state of the robot body
110
by his eyes.
At a step a
4
, the operator confirms completion of the teach-inputting operation. At a step a
5
, the replaying operation mode where the replaying operation can be executed is chosen by turning the knob
141
of the choosing switch
140
. Thus, the processing circuit
151
in the processing means
150
reads out the teaching data from the memory for teaching data
152
. Then, the servo unit
160
operates the robot body
110
at a step a
6
.
Teaching data can be made by a personal computer at a remote place from which the operator can not see the robot body. A storage device such as a floppy disk storing the teaching data can be removably set in the data inputting means
154
of the processing means
150
. The teaching data in the storage device are transmitted to the memory for teaching data
152
. The servo unit
160
replays the operation of the robot body
110
following the teaching data stored in the storage device, when the choosing switch
140
is set for the replaying operation mode.
As shown in
FIGS. 10
to
12
, the robot control unit
120
and the teach-inputting means
130
are disposed near the robot body
110
, that is, near the real-operating site. Thus, at a remote place, the teaching data can not be made while the operator confirms the movement of the robot body
110
, when the robot body
110
actually moves.
The teaching data stored in the storage device which can be set in the data inputting means
154
are made at a remote place. However, the teaching data are not made while the operator confirms the movement of the robot body
110
when the robot body
110
actually moves. Thus, the teaching data stored in the storage device may include a wrong teaching data which may bring a risk.
Thus, according to the prior art, the teach-inputting operation has to be executed near the robot body
110
when the operator wants to confirm the movement of the robot body
110
during the teach-inputting operation. The real-operating site where the robot body
110
is disposed, for example a factory, may be environmentally polluted by a welding operation or the like, and may be dangerous for the operator. Thus, safety measures for the operator are not assured.
FIG. 13
is a schematic perspective view showing a structure of another prior art. In the structure, the electric signal line
111
is relatively long, so that the robot control means
120
is disposed at a safer place, which is away from the real-operating site where the robot body
110
is disposed. The robot control means
120
is connected to the teach-inputting means
157
which can be materialized by a personal computer, through the electric signal line
156
.
The robot body
110
and the robot control means
120
are constituted in the same manner as shown in
FIGS. 10
to
12
. The processing circuit
151
in the processing means
150
is connected to the personal computer
157
through the line
156
. The personal computer
157
has a key-input means and a liquid crystal panel for showing teaching data inputted by the key-input means. The structure is not provided with means similar to teach-inputting means
130
of the previous prior art.
In the case of the prior art shown in
FIG. 13
, the personal computer
157
for inputting the teaching data can be disposed at a place away from the real-operating site where the robot body
110
is disposed. Thus, the safety for the operator is assured. Then, the operator can watch the replaying robot body
110
at the safer place.
A disadvantage of the prior art shown in
FIG. 13
is that the robot body
110
does not actually move following the teaching data when the teaching data are inputted via the personal computer
157
. The operator transmits the teaching data made by the personal computer
157
into the memory for teaching data
152
provided in the processing means
150
of the robot control means
120
through the electric signal line
156
. The servo unit
160
replays the moving operation for the robot body
110
, following the teaching data stored in the memory for teaching data
152
. Thus, the operator tends to make an error in inputting the teaching data.
In addition, according to the prior art shown in
FIG. 13
, the electric signal line
111
connecting the robot body
110
with the robot control means
120
can not be more than 20 meters because of electrical resistance thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a robot control unit with which the operator can input teaching data safely, and which prevents the operator from making an error in the teaching data.
This inventi
Abe Kazuhiro
Koyama Masataka
Kurosaki Yoshimitsu
Onoue Kazuhiko
Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Masih Karen
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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