Fanuc Corporation

Fauc Ltd.

Tetsuya Kosaka

Atsushi Watanabe

Hiromitsu Takahashi

Yoshiharu Nagatsuka

Takayuki Ito

Takeaki Aramaki

Yoshitaka Ikeda

Kazunori Ban

Akihiro Terada

Tomoyuki Yamamoto

Hiroji Nishi

Fumikazu Warashina

Mitsuhiro Okuda

Katsutoshi Takizawa

Tohru Mizuno

Makoto Yamada

Eiichi Kobayashi

Kouichi Ohkanda

Akiko Takano

Seigou Katou

A robot off-line simulation apparatus that allows a person to know an optimum placement for a robot, an operation margin index, etc. before going to an actual working site. Provisional robot placing positions are selected using data about a given sequence of task points (operation path), etc. The conditions for selection are (i) that solution to the inverse kinematics should be found regarding the entire sequence of task points, (ii) that the robot should not interfere with a peripheral device, and (iii) that regarding all the axes of the robot, the operation margin index should satisfy a criterion value. Simulation is performed according to operation programs under the condition that the robot is placed at each of the provisional placing positions, where data about cycle time, duty, energy value, change in acceleration/speed, etc. is collected. Using the collected data, evaluation of operation is performed regarding each of the provisional placing positions, and those provisional placing positions which allow good operation are identified as placing positions ensuring the robot operation. Further, using an evaluation function in which each aspect is given a weighting, the placing positions ensuring the robot operation are reduced to optimum placing positions ensuring the robot operation.

Robot off-line simulation apparatus

A controller of an injection molding machine and a controller of a molded-product removing robot are connected to each other via communication means. When a molding condition save command is entered from the controller of the injection molding machine, a folder with a management number is created on a memory card, and molding conditions stored in the controller of the injection molding machine are saved in the folder. A teaching program and/or setting data stored in the robot controller is read via the communication means and saved in the same folder. When a molding condition read command is entered, data is read from a specified folder, molding conditions are set in the controller of the injection molding machine, and a teaching program etc. are set in the robot controller via the communication means.

Injection molding system data management method

3-D models of various types of objects such as a robot body, and a peripheral equipment, a machine, a part (workpiece), of the robot, are stored in an object library in advance. Dimension line data of an edge line of which dimension can be changed, and constraint condition for constraining coordinate positions of apexes which can be changed are also stored in the object library. A model having the shape corresponding to the shape of the object to be used is selected from the object library, and the dimension of the shape is set. The dimension of the selected model is modified so that the shape of the model corresponds to the shape of the actual object. Using the model of which dimension was adjusted, animation motion of the robot is formed on a display screen. With the above arrangement, it is possible to easily set and change object 3-D models relating to a robot motion.

Graphic display apparatus for robot system

A computer is connected to a system formed by combining a robot with a peripheral device (such as a welder). The computer receives robot mechanical unit motion position information supplied from a robot controller and command information to be outputted to the peripheral device, and displays motions of the robot mechanical unit and the peripheral device on its display screen in an animation form.

Robot simulation apparatus

A robot controller executes an operating program, calculates a position and posture of a robot, and sends the position and posture information to a personal computer (PC). At the PC side, on the basis of this position and posture information, animation display information of a work cell including the position and posture of the robot is created and then sent to a teaching pendant. In the teaching pendant, the animation display information is received, and an animation image is displayed on a display section. Until the operating program is terminated, this operation is performed so that an operating animation of the robot is displayed on the display section of the teaching pendant.

Robot information processing system

An image of a reference object is captured using a camera and displayed. A measurement starting point is pointed by an image position pointing device. A corresponding view line is obtained using a position on the image and a position and a direction of the camera, a robot approaches to the reference object such that it does not deviate from a projecting direction to move to a position suitable for measurement. A light is projected on the reference object and measurement of an inclination of a face of the object in the vicinity of a measuring point is started. An image including a bright line image on the reference object is photographed and 3-dimensional positions of points sequentially measured along a working line. A movement path of a robot is created using these positions as teaching points for a working robot.

Robot teaching apparatus

An operation data display device for a robot allowing an operator to recognize operation data on a plurality of operations performed by the robot at a time. When an arc start command is read out from a taught operation program by the robot controller, a welding start command is issued to an arc welding power supply. The arc welding power supply starts supply of a welding current to a welding torch mounted on a robot. Values of the welding current in a welding operation is outputted to a robot controller and sampled at every predetermined period and recorded. When an arc end command is read out from the operation program, the arc welding power supply terminates the welding operation and output of the values of the welding current. The robot controller transfers a file containing the data of the actual welding current to a personal computer. The personal computer displays representations of the received operation data in the form of line graphs of reduced size for the plurality of welding operations: in one frame on a display screen.

Operation data display device for robot

A robot controller for use in a robot control system with a plurality of robots connected one another through a communication path. When a cause for stopping occurs in one or more robots, other robots are also stopped in the same type of stopping procedure. A priority of execution on a plurality of stop procedure types is determined. When a cause for stopping occurs in one or more robots in the robots connected through the communication line or in the robots in synchronously cooperative operation, all of the robots connected through the communication line or the robots in synchronously cooperative operation are stopped in the same type of stopping procedure. If different causes for stopping occur in the robots, a stopping procedure type having higher priority in the stopping procedures determined in accordance with the different causes of stopping is adopted to stop all of the robots in the same type of stopping procedure. Since the robots are stopped in the same type of stopping procedure, displacement of relative positions of the robots in synchronously cooperative operation is made small.

Robot controller

A robot controller having a function of monitoring abnormality of a robot operation to prevent an accident by stopping supply of energy or operational substance to an operational tool when the operational tool is abnormally stopped. Motion command pulses for a robot motion are obtained by computing operations when a motion statement of the operation program is read out and stored in a shared memory. Motors for driving respective robot axes are driven based on the motion command pulses. When an I/O output command is issued on a signal line to actuate an arc welder, the operation control software demands to set a predetermined waiting time period to a timer. The managing software demands to start a countdown of the timer and informs the operation control software of an elapse of the set waiting time period. The operation control software determines that an abnormality has occurred if all of the present motion command pulses stored in the shared memory are zero, and turns off the signal line to forcedly terminates the actuation of the operational tool. In the midst of the operation, if the operational tool remains unmoved over a predetermined time period, it is also determined that an abnormality has occurred and the operation is forcedly terminated.

Robot controller with abnormality monitoring function

A control system for performing a synchronously cooperative operation among some robots of a plurality of robots connected by a communication line. A plurality of robots No. 1 to No. 4 is operated individually and also is operated in synchronous cooperation. Further, some robots No. 1 and 2 is operated in synchronous cooperation while the other robots Nos. 2 and 4 are operated in synchronous cooperation. The robots Nos. 3 and 4 are operated in synchronous cooperation. The robots No. 1 and 3 is operated in synchronous cooperation while the robots Nos. 2 and 4 are operated individually. The synchronously cooperative operation is performed by any desired combination in that the above robot control part keeps motion procedures denoting changes, which are corresponding to the frame notifications of the passage of time from the above media reproduction part; and moves the above robot according toe the above motion procedures, in the corresponding frame.

Control system for synchronously cooperative operation of plurality of robots

A robot control apparatus having an expanded and improved backward operation function. During forward operation according to an operation program, command types, line numbers, robot positions, I/O signal states before execution of related commands, and values before execution of computation commands are stored in a history table. In the backward operation, the data written in the history table is read backward, command type discrimination is made, and backward operation processing is executed in accordance with the result of discrimination. For backward operation dedicated commands, a separately taught backward operation dedicated command is read and executed. If, however, the read command is a command to output a signal to a cooperative device, the signal output command is executed after completion of the robot motion to the stored position. For I/O commands, I/O signals are automatically inverted or are individually set after the motion to the stored position is completed.

Robot control apparatus with function for robot backward operation

An arc welding method capable of easily varying welding conditions such as welding speed, voltage and electric current. The method comprises the steps of teaching a start point to start varying welding conditions such as welding speed, voltage and electric current and an end point to terminate the variations of welding conditions such as the welding speed, the voltage and the electric current, as well as setting the welding conditions at the start point and the end point for gradually varying the welding conditions such as welding speed, voltage and electric current towards end point. By simply setting positions of the start point and the end point and the welding conditions at these positions, it is possible to gradually vary the welding conditions from the conditions at the start point to the conditions at the end point while a welding torch is moved from start point to the end point, thereby contributing to the simplification of the welding condition varying procedure.

Growing community of inventors

Yamanashi, Japan

Tetsuya Kosaka