Fanuc Corporation

Hirohiko Kobayashi

Yoshiharu Nagatsuka

Atsushi Watanabe

Katsutoshi Takizawa

Yoshiharu Fanuc Dai3virakaramatsu Nagatsuka

Yoshiharu Fanuc Nagatsuka

A method of opening a network in a manufacturing system, the system including a plurality of robots, a plurality of robot controllers individually controlling the robots and a plurality of networks connecting the robot controllers with each other. The method includes the steps of opening a first network to the plurality of robot controllers, by setting, in each of the plurality of robot controllers, conditions, including addresses, required for opening the first network; designating an address range prepared in the first network for robot controllers to which a second network is opened and which is selected from among the plurality of robot controllers; and opening the second network to the robot controllers addressed within the address range designated in the first network, by setting, through the first network, conditions required for opening the second network.

Network opening method in manufacturing robots to a second network from a first network

A robot system capable of checking the status of all robot controllers connected to the same network by using at least one robot controller, among the robot controllers, having a function for checking the status. The robot system includes a plurality of robots and a plurality of robot controllers for controlling the robots. The robot controllers are connected to each other via a control network and also connected to an information network. The at least one robot controller, having the function of checking the status, transmits and receives data to and from the other robot controllers and, further, indicates information, concerning the statuses of the networks and the robots, on a display of a teaching operation panel of the at least one robot controller.

Robot system and robot controller

A programming device for making a program for returning a robot to its waiting position when the robot is stopped by an error. A robot control device is connected to the programming device via a network line. When the robot during operation is stopped by the error, information including data of a position where the robot is stopped is transferred to the programming device. The programming device makes the returning program, based on layout data, the received information and data including teaching positions and attribute data of the positions, by which the robot may be returned from the stop position to the waiting position without interfering with peripheral devices. The returning program is executed by using an offline simulation function of the programming device. The program is transferred to the robot control device after it is judged that interference will not occur. The robot may be safely returned to the waiting position by executing the returning program.

Programming device for returning robot to waiting position

A robot controller capable of automatically preparing a job program for a workpiece configured of a plurality of job elements is disclosed. A plurality of teaching programs for teaching the job for each job element making up the workpiece are stored in advance. Each teaching program has registered therein attribute information including the item number (identification information) and the sequence of application of the teaching program to each workpiece. The robot controller retrieves teaching programs having registered therein, as attribute information, the same item number as the input item number of the workpiece and prepares a main program such that the retrieved teaching programs are called sequentially as subprograms in accordance with the application sequence specified by the attribute information. Further, commands for moving to the job starting position and the job end position are added before and after the main program thereby to complete the main program. Based on the main program thus prepared, the robot controller controls the robot operation.

Robot system provided with robot controller

An offline programming device in which a path for preventing interference may be automatically inserted such that a welding robot does not interfere with a jig clamping a workpiece to be welded. The models of the robot, the workpiece and the clamp jig are indicated on a display for determining the path for preventing interference. A simulation is carried out to judge that interference with the jig may occur. When it is judged that interference will occur, data of the preventing path suitable for a straight path passing through the jig are read out from a library including registered preventing paths corresponding to shapes of various jigs. The data of the preventing path includes the three-dimensional data of each point of the path as the incremental value in relation to a reference point of the path. Also, the orientation of a welding torch is registered. The corrected welding program may be downloaded to the actual robot so as to correct the uploaded offline program by using a test result in the actual robot.

Offline programming device

An offline programming device capable of automatically generating a measuring program by which the time and the workload for making an offline program may be greatly reduced. The offline programming device includes a storing part for storing a plurality of data in relation to a plurality of measurement points of the object and the position and the orientation of a vision sensor relative to the movable part of the robot; a calculating part for calculating the position and the orientation of the vision sensor relative to each measurement point when the measurement point is measured; a measuring program making part for making at least one measuring program, based on the plurality of data stored in the storing part, by means of which the position and the orientation of the vision sensor may be achieved; an evaluating part for evaluating the at least one measuring program according to a predetermined evaluative criteria; and a selecting part for selecting a measuring program, from the at least one measuring program, which satisfies the predetermined evaluative criteria.

The present invention relates to a robot path planning method for determining the path of a robot, taking into consideration the bending effect of the robot path when heavy tools are load onto the robot. Specifically, straight line P'-Q' to be actually drawn by the distal end of the robot tool is calculated by using the positions P and Q of the distal end of the tool at the start point and at the end point of the straight line recognized by the robot controller. And, the interpolation points H1', H2', H3', . . . are set on this line P'-Q'. Then, the bending amount .DELTA..theta.pj and .DELTA..theta.qj at the start point P' and at the end point Q' of this line P'-Q' are respectively determined. And, the bending amount at each interpolation point H1', H2', . . . are calculated from these bending amounts .DELTA..theta.pj and .DELTA..theta.qj, and the position on the line P'-Q' of each interpolation point. Then, the values obtained by subtracting from each interpolation point H1', H2', . . . corresponding bending amounts are set as the interpolation points H1, H2, H3, . . . to be actually used in the robot controller.

Robot path planning method where bending owing to load is taken into

Material is uniformly applied to the entire outer peripheral surface of a rotating object by using a robot. The material is discharged toward the rotating object from a nozzle (2) of a material discharging device mounted on the distal end of a robot arm, with the nozzle moved along the outer peripheral surface of the object, e.g., a truncated cone (1), rotating at a predetermined speed. A robot control device periodically calculates coordinates (x, R, 0) in a work coordinate system (P5-XwYwZw), including a target moving position (x) of the nozzle in the direction of the rotation axis and a corresponding target nozzle moving position (R) in the radial direction which are individually expressed as a function of the time elapsed after the start of the material applying process (S12). These coordinates are converted to a robot-base coordinate system (OB-XBYBZB) (S14) and converts the result to data for respective robot axes (S15). Then, a pulse distribution is executed in accordance with moving amounts for the respective robot axes in the present cycle which are calculated based on the above data and data obtained in the preceding cycle (S16-S18). As a result, the nozzle mounted on the robot arm is moved at a speed corresponding to the outer diameter of the rotating object which varies along its rotation axis, to uniformly apply the material to the entire outer peripheral surface of the rotating object to the target thickness.

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Fujiyoshida, Japan

Hirohiko Kobayashi