Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Robot control
Patent
1998-03-18
2000-12-26
Grant, William
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Robot control
700245, 700250, 700252, 3185681, G05B 1500, G05B 1904, G06F 1900, B25J 916
Patent
active
061673285
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a robot language processing apparatus such as a program display apparatus, a teaching apparatus, and a programming pendant for use in teaching an industrial robot, and more particularly to a robot language processing apparatus for graphically displaying programming contents and easily editing a program and teaching a robot.
BACKGROUND ART
Industrial robots, particularly teaching-playback industrial robots having three or more degrees of freedom, are often instructed with a small-size user interface unit called a programming pendant or a teaching box which is connected to a robot controller. Alternatively, an application program is generated using a programming language for robot control, and a robot is operated according to the application program.
When an application program is to be generated off-line and a robot is to be operated according to the generated application program, it is difficult to accurately describe movement details based on actual workpiece configurations. Therefore, it is widely practiced to correct such an application program while actually moving the robot with a programming pendant or the like. Therefore, it is customary to describe rough movements with an application program and teach a robot with a programming pendant for detailed movements while actually moving the robot. For displaying the application program, the programming pendant is used as a program display because of the need to indicate the application program to the user in some way on correction of the application program.
A welding robot as a teaching-playback industrial robot will hereinafter be described by way of example. However, the present invention is by no means limited to a welding robot.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional program display apparatus for a teaching-playback industrial robot is typically constructed as a programming pendant 90. The programming pendant 90 has a display screen 91 generally referred to as a robot operation program display for displaying various information to the user, and a plurality of entry keys 94 for entering commands, numerical values, and directional information. The programming pendant 90 is connected to a robot controller by a cable 96 which includes signal lines and power lines, and also to another information entry unit 97 such as a pointing device. The programming pendant 90 is supplied with electric energy from the robot controller through the cable 96. The programming pendant 90 exchanges information with the robot controller, and is supplied with information from the entry keys 94 and the information entry unit 97. Based on the exchanged information, the programming pendant 90 displays a programming language on the display screen 91. In the illustrated example, the display screen 91 displays, on the basis of characters, four lines of the programming language ranging from "JOB-40" to "END".
Program languages for controlling industrial robots include compiler-type program languages and interpreter-type program languages. The compiler-type program languages are in the form of high-level languages, and compile a source program into an executable form which will be used to control actual robot operation. The interpreter-type robot languages are made up of a group of primitive commands. For controlling robot operation with an interpreter-type robot language, commands are entered from a programming pendant and at the same time operative positions of the robot are stored, and the commands are successively executed by an interpreter. When the user refers to and edits a robot language which is of either the compiler-type or the interpreter-type, an application program is displayed as a string of characters.
The conventional program display apparatus is problematic in that it is difficult for the user to grasp actual operation details of the robot because the operation details of the robot are displayed as a program list expressed by the robot language. Furthermore, since language expressions are made on the basis of character
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Kanehara Takeyoshi
Kawai Fumiaki
Mantani Noriaki
Ohsawa Noriyuki
Takaoka Keiichi
Grant William
Hartman Jr. Ronald D
Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
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