Apparatus for operating robots

• US 10,048,851 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Denso Wave Inc (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Denso Wave Inc (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Yui, Daisuke, Kanada, Motoki, Sugano, Atsuko, Touma, Hirota
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US15/076,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20160274784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 700245, 700257
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/161 Hardware, e.g. neural networks, fuzzy logic, interfaces, processor
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1658 characterised by programming language
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35488 Graphical user interface, labview
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36159 Detachable or portable programming unit, display, pc, pda
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36168 Touchscreen
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40392 Programming, visual robot programming language
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A robot operation apparatus includes a touch panel, a display, an operation detecting unit capable of detecting a touch operation or a drag operation on the touch panel, a motion command generating unit that generates a motion command for operating a robot, and a display control unit that controls display content of the display. The motion command generating unit performs a motion speed determining process in which a motion speed of the robot is determined based on a slide distance that is a distance from a start position of a drag operation detected by the operation detecting unit to a current position. The display control unit performs a speed graphics display process in which a speed graphics in which the slide distance and the motion speed of the robot are correlated and that changes in aspect in accompaniment with changes in the slide distance is displayed on the display.

Claims

1. An apparatus for operating a robot, the apparatus comprising:

a touch panel that receives input of a touch operation and a drag operation from a user;

a display that displays graphics;

an operation detecting unit that detects the touch operation and the drag operation on the touch panel;

a motion command generating unit that generates a motion command for operating the robot based on a detection result from the operation detecting unit; and

a display control unit that controls display content of the display, wherein

the motion command generating unit performs a motion speed determining process in which a motion speed of the robot is determined based on a slide distance that is a distance from a start position of a drag operation detected by the operation detecting unit to a current position, and

the display control unit performs a speed graphics display process in which a speed graphics in which the slide distance and the motion speed of the robot are correlated and that changes in aspect in accompaniment with changes in the slide distance is displayed on the display.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the motion command generating unit performs a motion direction determining process in which a motion command for operating the robot in a positive direction is generated when an operating direction of the drag operation is a positive direction with reference to the start position of the drag operation, and a motion command for operating the robot in a negative direction is generated when the operating direction of the drag operation is a negative direction that is opposite the positive direction.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the motion speed determining process includes a process in which the motion speed of the robot is set to zero when the operating speed of the drag operation exceeds a threshold.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the threshold when a deceleration operation that is a drag operation in which the slide distance is decreased is performed is set to an operating speed of an acceleration operation that is a drag operation performed immediately before the deceleration operation and in which the slide distance is increased.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the operation detecting unit detects operating pressure related to the touch operation and the drag operation; and

the motion speed determining process includes a process in which the motion speed of the robot is set to zero when the operating pressure detected by the operation detecting unit exceeds a threshold.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the speed graphics has a bar that is formed in a linear shape with the start position of the drag operation as a base point and indicates the correlation between the slide distance and the motion speed of the robot, and a slider moves along the bar in accompaniment with the drag operation and indicates a current position of the drag operation on the bar.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

an area setting unit that sets a bar area corresponding to the bar on the touch panel, wherein

the motion speed determining process includes a process in which the motion speed of the robot is set to zero when an operating position of the drag operation is outside of the bar area.

8. The apparatus according claim 7, wherein:

the bar area has a width which is able to be arbitrarily set.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the bar area has a main stop area that is an area including the start position of the drag operation and an action area that is an area that does not include the start position of the drag operation;

the motion speed determining process includes a process in which the motion speed of the robot is set to zero when the operating position of the drag operation is positioned in the main stop area, and the motion speed of the robot is set based on the slide distance when the operating position of the drag operation is positioned in the action area; and

the area setting unit performs a process in which, when the deceleration operation that is a drag operation in which the slide distance is decreased is performed, a proportion of the main stop area in relation to an overall length of the bar area is increased and a proportion of the action area is decreased as the operating speed of the deceleration operation becomes faster.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the bar area has a main stop area that is an area including the start position of the drag operation and an action area that is an area that does not include the start position of the drag operation;

the area setting unit is able to set an auxiliary area that is an area that does not include the start position of the drag operation near the operating position of the drag operation when the slide distance is a predetermined distance or more; and

the motion speed determining process includes a process in which the motion speed of the robot is set to zero when the operating position of the drag operation is positioned in the main stop area or the auxiliary stop area, and the motion speed of the robot is determined based on the slide distance when the operating position of the drag operation is positioned in the action area.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the speed graphics linearly extends and contracts based on the slide distance, with the start position of the drag operation as a base point.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the motion command generating unit performs a motion mode determining process in which a motion mode of the robot by a drive axis or a combination of drive axes of the robot is determined to be a first motion mode when an operating direction of the drag operation detected by the operation detecting unit is a first direction, and the motion mode of the robot is determined to be a second motion mode when the operating direction of the drag operation is a second direction.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

the display control unit performs a direction graphics display process in which a first direction graphics indicating the first direction and a second direction graphics indicating the second direction are displayed on the display when the operation detecting unit detects the touch operation.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein:

the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other; and

the direction graphics display process includes a process in which the first direction graphics and the second direction graphics are displayed on the display such as to be perpendicular to each other.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the motion speed determining process is a process in which the motion speed of the robot increases in stages in proportion to the slide distance.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the motion speed determining process is a process in which the motion speed of the robot continuously increases in proportion to the slide distance of the drag operation.

17. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the motion speed determining process includes a process in which the motion speed of the robot is set to zero when the operating speed of the drag operation exceeds a threshold.

18. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the operation detecting unit detects operating pressure related to the touch operation and the drag operation; and

the motion speed determining process includes a process in which the motion speed of the robot is set to zero when the operating pressure detected by the operation detecting unit exceeds a threshold.

19. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the operation detecting unit detects operating pressure related to the touch operation and the drag operation; and

the motion speed determining process includes a process in which the motion speed of the robot is set to zero when the operating pressure detected by the operation detecting unit exceeds a threshold.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein a robot operation program that is run by a computer incorporated in a robot operation apparatus that includes a touch panel that receives input of a touch operation and a drag operation from a user, a display that displays graphics, an operation detecting unit that detects the touch operation and the drag operation on the touch panel, a motion command generating unit that generates a motion command for operating the robot based on a detection result from the operation detecting unit, and a display control unit that controls display content of the display, the robot operation program causing the computer to perform:

a motion speed determining process in which a motion speed of the robot is determined based on a slide distance that is a distance from a start position of a drag operation detected by the operation detecting unit to a current position; and

a speed graphics display process in which a speed graphics in which the slide distance and the motion speed of the robot are correlated and that changes in aspect in accompaniment with changes in the slide distance is displayed on the display.