Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Shigeru Shimogama

Hiroshi Nakajima

Yasushi Mukai

Wataru Takahashi

Kazunori Matsumoto

Toshinori Hongu

Hidetoshi Oyama

Shiaki Suzuki

Yasumichi Muto

Yoshinori Sasaki

The present invention provides an arc welder in which a robot controller of a teaching playback type robot and a welding power source are of digital control type and the robot controller and the welding power source are coupled through a bus. A welding condition command required for welding and a real welding condition are transmitted digitally through the bus in a parallel mode.

Arc welder

An arc welding apparatus comprising a combination of a teaching-playback robot and an arc welding power source is provided. Even when, in changing a welding method, one welding power source for one welding method is replaced by another welding power source for another welding method, the welding apparatus does not require an adjustment between a robot controller and the latter arc welding power source for consistency between them. The arc welding apparatus comprises a teaching-playback robot comprising a robot body and a robot controller and a welding power source including a controller. The robot controller and the controller of the welding power source both have a communication controller, and communicate with each other using a digital signal. On the basis of information on the welding method transmitted from the welding power source, the welding method is automatically set into the robot controller.

Arc welding apparatus

A motor brake releasing device includes an electromagnetic brake for locking a motor shaft and a switch mounted between the electromagnetic brake and a releasing-power-supply for the brake. The switch can be operated by an AND signal produced by a motor driving signal and a motor-brake-release-permitting signal. This structure allows a motor brake to be released when a motor driving system encounters an obstacle, although the motor is left free. The structure also can prevent a final object of the motor shaft from dropping due to its own weight.

Motor break releasing device

A connection cable apparatus for protecting a connection cable of a robot comprises a connection section for connection to a robot connection cable, and a reinforcement plate. The reinforcement plate fixes the connection cable to the robot. This apparatus has an angle box disposed in the connection section, and is capable of varying the drawing direction of the connection cable. This apparatus includes plural wires, and a connection processing section to be connected to their terminals and a connector. In the connection processing section, of the plural wires, the length of the wires having a smaller sectional area is longer than the length of the wires having a larger sectional area. These wires are divided into groups, and effects of stress by bending of the connection cable are prevented.

Connection cable apparatus

A key input section which permits the execution of output controls is provided on a teach pendant. A control unit of a robot control system ignores all input movement requests to move the robot if a key of the key input section is depressed and if an output of the key is an output set for prohibiting the movement of the robot and is in an output state that is set.

Robot control system

A robot control apparatus has keys for input/output control and an execution key for permitting execution therefor. A key can be allocated for a reservation sequence stored beforehand. When an operation program is taught for a robot, the reservation sequence allocated to the key can be executed when the key is pressed while the execution is pressed. Then, an operation program can be programmed more correctly by controlling the robot, and time for programming a sequence program is shortened. Execution of an input/output operation due to unintentional or erroneous operation is prevented. Two input/output control sequences can be allocated to one key.

Robot controller

A brake release circuit of an electromagnetic brake for locking a motor and an indication circuit for indicating a brake release are coupled together. Both the circuits may be turned on and off by a single switch contact. A motorbrake release device secures space saving and high safety, and is economical.

Motor brake device for a robot

A welding apparatus, wherein the robot controller of the teaching playback type robot thereof is combined with the control portion of the welding power source thereof, each of the control portions of the robot controller and the welding power source is a digital-control type and provided with a digital communication control portion, and welding condition commands including at least a welding current command value are transmitted by using digital data through the communication control portions from the robot controller to the control portion of the welding power source. The present invention can thus provide a welding apparatus excluding conversion errors because of the existence of analog circuits.

Welding apparatus

An apparatus and method controls an arc welding robot. During robot teaching, an allowable width for a command value (central value) is entered via an input. The robot is taught, and operated according to data stored in a memory, and a CPU judges if an actual welding value taken from an external interface during actual welding is within the allowable width corresponding to the entered welding condition command value, and when the actual welding value is outside of the allowable width, operation information of the robot can be immediately displayed by an information noticing device, or stored in the memory, and displayed in batch at the end of one welding stroke. An arc welding condition is monitored only during regular welding, and can be ignored during crater treatment, or a section of unstable welding right after the start of welding can be excluded from the welding condition monitoring object section. As required, depending on characteristics of a wire feeder, the conditions of crater treatment can be changed.

Apparatus and method for controlling an arc welding robot

The safety device of industrial robot of the invention is intended to assure safety of the operator for teaching operation of an industrial robot. In the safety device of the industrial robot of the invention, a switch having two contacts working simultaneously is used as the dead-man's switch provided in the teaching pendant, and by monitoring the open or closed state of the two contacts working simultaneously, fusion of contact is judged by miss-matching of the opening and closing action, and the operation of the robot is stopped immediately. Besides, as an over-travel switch for actuating when the robot main body gets out of the normal moving range, a switch having two contacts working simultaneously is used, and by monitoring the open or closed state of the two contacts working simultaneously, fusion of contact is judged by miss-matching-of the opening and closing state, and the operation of the robot is stopped immediately. Moreover, in the safety device of the industrial robot of the invention, it is constituted to detect individually the energized state of the coils of the relays for composing the safety circuit responsible for emergency stop, and the open and closed state of these relay contacts, and fusion of contact is judged by miss-matching of the coil energized state and the open and closed state of the contacts, so that the operation of the robot is stopped immediately.

Safety device of industrial robot

First ends of electrical elements (CR18, CR14, CR17, CR16) forming safety circuits are electrically grounded, and safety circuits (switches 105, 103, 104, 107) are connected between the remaining second ends of the electrical elements and the power supply side (positive (+) side) of the system thereof, so that even if a signal transmitting line in the safety circuit system is grounded, the safety system relay is not excited; that is, it is kept opened, thereby to interrupt of the servo power supply circuit. Further, two relays of hardware system and of software system are provided which transmits an emergency stop state or other abnormal state to the outside. The relay contact means of the two relays are extended outside, so that it is detected with an external control board whether the relays are opened or closed, thereby to detect whether or not the contact means are fused.

Emergency stop circuit for a robot

A control unit for an industrial robot comprising a speed command device for outputting a speed command signal for the industrial robot and a servo control device which outputs to a servo motor of each of a plurality of axes of rotation of the industrial robot, in response to the speed command signal, an electric current corresponding to the speed command signal. The servo control performs feedback control of the industrial robot, in response to a signal from an encoder of each of the axes of rotation of the industrial robot, so as to actuate the servo motor at a speed designated by the speed command signal. The speed command device includes a comparison member for comparing an actual speed of the industrial robot calculated from a pulse train of a signal returning from the encoder with the speed designated by the speed command signal. When a difference between the actual speed of the industrial robot and the speed designated by the speed command signal exceeds a predetermined permissible value, the comparison member performs an abnormality eliminating process of the industrial robot.

Industrial robot and its control unit

A robot includes a robot body to which the procedure of a task is teachable, a teaching portion, an operating portion, a control portion, and a changeover portion. The teaching portion includes a signal generating portion for generating a drive signal for driving the robot body, and a deadman switch which indicates by its opened/closed state whether the procedure of the task is being taught to the robot body or not. The operating portion generates a start signal for starting the robot body. The control portion receives the drive signal and a signal indicating the opened/closed state of the deadman from the teaching portion and the start signal from the operating portion. The changeover portion operates so that the start signal from the operating portion is prevented from being supplied to the control portion when the teaching portion is electrically connected to the control portion.

Safety circuit for teaching operation of robot

An arc welding system includes a welding power source unit for producing welding power for fusing welding wire to weld a workpiece. An internal resistor is incorporated in the welding power source unit. A relay is inserted between the internal resistor and the welding power source unit for switching a connection therebetween according to the operating condition of the arc welding system. The relay connects the internal resistor and the welding power source unit only while the arc welding system is performing a welding operation.

Welding power source

A method of operating an arc welding apparatus which controls and moves a welding wire of a welding torch and detects a weld between a work and the welding wire after completion of an arc welding, includes: a first step of cutting off a welding voltage to the welding wire to thereby extinguish a welding arc; a second step of detecting a weld state between the welding wire and the work; a third step of lifting the welding wire away from the work when the welded state is detected at the second step; a fourth step of detecting the welded state between the welding wire and the work after completion of the third step; a fifth step of impressing the welding voltage to the welding wire when a welded state has been detected at the fourth step; a sixth step of detecting the welded state between the welding wire and the work after completion of the fifth step; a seventh step of executing, when the welded state has been detected at the sixth step, at least one of the stopping of the operation of the arc welding apparatus, displaying of the welded state, and informing an operator of the welded state; and an eighth step of moving the apparatus to another location when the welded state has not been detected at the second, fourth, and sixth steps.

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Hyogo, Japan

Shigeru Shimogama