DE102011008306A1 - System for programming of robot application, is provided with programming element for simplified programming of robot application - Google Patents

Abstract

The system is provided with a programming element (20) for simplified programming of the robot application, where a simulation element (10) is provided for the simulation-supported programming of the robot application. The transfer elements (30,40) are provided for processing of a program. An independent claim is also included for a method for programming of a robot application.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and system for programming a robot application.

In particular, for the previously performed offline programming of robot applications simulation means for simulation-based programming are known. These usually allow the complex creation, modification and simulation of processes, in particular robot tracks, but this usually requires great expertise of the user and correspondingly powerful input and output options, such as three-dimensional visualizations of the tracks or processes. KUKA WorkVisual of the Applicant is such a simulation tool, to which reference is made for further details.

On the other hand, many robotic manufacturers deliberately provide programming tools for simplified programming of robotic applications that will enable even lower-skilled and / or on-site users, particularly individual users, to program the robotic application as intuitively, easily and efficiently as possible. Such programming means may be provided in particular for task-based programming, so that the user only has to parameterize and interconnect individual tasks, so-called "jobs", such as recording or depositing a payload with a robot. Applicant's KUKA SmartGUI Studio is such a programming tool to which reference is made for further details.

Disadvantageously, the user has previously been set, in particular for editing created programs, to the means used for the creation. Thus, in practice, it is neither possible to inexpensively modify applications created in a simulation means by a user with less knowledge or on site in a simple manner by a programming means for simplified programming, and vice versa to test an application created with such a programming means, for example in a simulation means ,

The object of the present invention is to improve the programming of a robot application.

This object is achieved by a system having the features of claim 1 and a method having the features of claim 10. Claim 11 provides a transfer means for a system according to the invention under protection, the subclaims relate to advantageous developments.

An inventive system or method is used for programming a robot application. A robot application in the sense of the present invention may in particular comprise one or more robots, preferably additionally one or more robot-controlled tools such as grippers, welding guns, painting or glue nozzles or the like, and / or additionally one or more peripherals cooperating with the robot (s). Have tools such as conveyors, editing tables or the like. In particular, an automated production or assembly cell, but also a single robot, can represent a robot application in the sense of the present invention. In particular, a program may specify poses to be approached by the robot (s), tracks to be traveled, and / or actions to be performed by tools, such as the opening or closing of a gripper, and is preferably present in a form executable in a controller of the robot application For example, the applicant's KUKA Robot Language ("KRL").

For simplified programming of the robot application, a programming means is provided. In general, a means in the sense of the present invention may be designed in terms of hardware and / or software technology. In particular, an agent may have one or more hardware components, in particular computing or processing devices such as processors, memory devices such as data carriers, input and / or output devices such as keyboard, mouse, joystick, touch screen, screen or the like. Additionally or alternatively, a means according to the present invention, one or more software components, in particular programs or routines, program modules, subroutines and / or, preferably object-oriented, data structures, libraries and the like.

In addition to the programming means for simplified programming, a simulation means for simulation-based programming of the robot application is provided. In the present case, simulation-based programming is understood as meaning, in particular, the creation, modification and / or checking of a program for the robot application, wherein at least one simulation is carried out. A simulation may in particular be a pure visualization, for example a robot path or a program sequence or state of the robot application, for example the relative position of a workpiece and a workpiece-processing or -routing robot, a kinematic simulation which assigns, for example, pose and joint coordinate changes to one another, and / or one be dynamic simulation in the robot application when performing the Program occurring forces and moments, for example, contact forces, and / or required for the implementation of the program forces and moments, such as drive torques determined.

The simulation means has a more powerful input and / or output capability than the programming means, which is provided according to the simplified programming on the other hand. An input option can be defined, for example, by lexicon and grammar of a programming language, level of detail of parameterizations, scope of libraries, logical linking possibilities of events and the like, an output possibility for example by the dimension and / or complexity of a representation.

Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment, the programming means for task-based programming of the robot application and / or for programming a user interface can be set up as is the case in the KUKA SmartGUI Studio. Task-based programming is understood to mean, in particular, an input possibility which essentially only allows the user to select individual, predefined tasks from a library and to link them to one another via paths, the possibility of creating new tasks, existing tasks, in particular by parameterization, and to modify paths, in particular by parameterization, are limited. In particular, in a programming means for simplified programming in a preferred embodiment, in contrast to a simulation means with correspondingly more powerful input and output capability, simulation, in particular one, preferably three- or four-dimensional visualization, is not possible. Additionally or alternatively, the programming means in a preferred embodiment enables online programming. Conversely, in a preferred embodiment, only the simulation means for CAD-based programming and / or simulation, preferably three- or four-dimensional visualization, of the robot application is set up, additionally or alternatively, however, set up only for offline programming. In the present case, the time or a corresponding normalized parameter, such as a path coordinate, for compact presentation herein referred to as a dimension, so that about a four-dimensional visualization denotes a spatial visualization of a process, a three-dimensional visualization alike a static spatial visualization or a planar visualization of a sequence. In a preferred embodiment, the programming means is implemented in or by a handheld device, the simulation means in or through a stationary computer, for example a PC.

According to the invention, a transfer means for processing and / or processing a program, which has been created or processed with one of the programming and the simulation means, is provided with the other of the programming and the simulation means. In this case, a processing is understood as meaning, in particular, a change in the program, for example, a processing, for example, the test-type execution in a simulation.

In this way, according to one aspect of the present invention, a program which has been created with the programming means in a simple manner, for example by selecting, parameterizing and linking jobs, can be advantageously tested with the more powerful simulation means in a simulation and processed there as required become. According to another aspect of the present invention, a program that has been created by a skilled user with the simulation tool may be easily modified by a less-knowledgeable user, on-site, and / or online by the programming means.

The transfer means, in a preferred embodiment, provides a common database or structure accessed by the programming and simulation means. In this way, it can be ensured, in particular, that data used in the programming and simulation means are always kept synchronized; it also eliminates the expense and the possibility of error of a data transfer. Preferably, programming and / or simulation means or their data structure are expanded accordingly.

In addition or as an alternative, the transfer means can also be set up for transferring the program from one of the programming and simulation means to the other of the programming and simulation means, in particular by transferring the program, possibly in a common language, from the one of the programming and simulation means and imported into the other of the programming and the simulation means.

Preferably, the transfer means is set up for handling and / or processing of actions, so that in addition to pure poses or robot tracks, actions that have been programmed, for example, with the programming means can be simulated in the simulation means. Actions in the sense of the present invention may in particular be actions of robot-guided or robot-interacting tools, such as the opening and closing of a gripper, the activation and Deactivation of painting or gluing nozzles, welding guns and the like, be.

In particular, to associate such actions with tracks of one or more robots of the robotic application such that, for example, the robot opens the gripper during launch of a receptacle and closes it upon reaching to receive a payload, in a preferred embodiment the programming and / or or the simulation means for creating and / or editing action points set up. Points of action on a robot path are called action points, upon which an action is to be started, ended or changed. Generally, it is provided in a preferred embodiment that the programming and / or the simulation means is set up for the creation and / or processing of track points.

In addition or as an alternative to a transfer of actions, in a preferred embodiment the transfer means is set up to process and / or process models, in particular robotic models. If, for example, a robot type, a robot position and / or a robot periphery are specified in the programming means by selection from a library and parameterization, it is provided in a preferred embodiment that the transfer means also make this robot type, robot position or robot periphery available to the simulation means, that this (s) can be considered accordingly in a simulation and for this preferably makes use of corresponding CAD data.

Preferably, the transfer agent works partially or completely automated. In particular with a partially automated transfer means, an input and / or output possibility for a user dialog can be provided. For example, it may be advantageous if robot types, robot positions, robot peripherals, actions and / or path, in particular action points transferred from the programming means are transferred in a dialog-supported manner.

Further advantages and features emerge from the subclaims and the exemplary embodiments. This shows, partially schematized:

1 a robot application; and

2 a system or method according to an embodiment of the present invention for programming the robot application of 1 ,

1 shows a robot application with a robot 1 who is from a first conveyor 2A a round workpiece 3A pick up and into a square workpiece 3B which should be on a second conveyor 2 B is delivered. After embracing the robot 1 the assembled workpiece 3C on a third conveyor 2C drop off and return to the first conveyor. A safe home position is defined with the robot arm retracted in the middle between the three conveyors (cf. 2 ).

To program this procedure, a user with less knowledge and / or on-site, for example, a hand-held device use, the user interface in 2 is indicated schematically. The handset or the program running on it provide a programming means 20 in the sense of the present invention.

The user, for example, a craftsman who wants to program a universal robot for the process shown above, selects from a library (not shown), the individual jobs that occur in the process, namely the gripping of a workpiece ( 2 : " 21A "," 21C "), The joining of workpieces ( 2 : " 21B ") As well as placing a workpiece on a conveyor ( 2 : " 21D "). He links these through transfer paths 23 logically with each other and fits them by appropriate parameterization, for example, the specification of the receiving pose for the workpiece 3A in the job 21A , to the concrete process.

In addition, he gives the home position 22 before and creates transfer paths to this, to be able to move from any job to the home position, and sees a counter 24 before, when the number of pieces "100" is reached, the process is not repeated, but the robot 1 moves to the home position.

It can be seen that even a user with less knowledge and / or on site with the programming means 20 in a simple way the robot application of 1 can program. Additionally, the programming tool provides 20 also a user interface of the handset, as the user by tapping the touchscreen icons 21A , ... 21D . 22 can approach the respective job or position.

However, this simplified programming in particular does not allow simulation of the programmed application. For this purpose, a simulation and programming program is implemented on a stationary PC, the screen in 2 is indicated schematically. PC or the running program provide a simulation tool 10 in the sense of the present invention.

In particular, this is the web 13 of the robot 1 spatially visualized and with the help of replacement models 11 . 12A , ... 12C for the robot 1 or the sponsors 2A , ..., 2C simulated. In a manner not shown here, a competent user can use the web 13 not just for testing purposes, but also more complex ways of changing it than the less powerful programming tool 20 allows. For example, he can by direct specification of motion codes the web 13 optimize against standard transfer paths.

In order to make this possible, in one embodiment of the present invention, a common, in 2 indicated, database 30 provided on, as in 2 indicated by double arrows, both the programming tool 20 as well as the simulation tool 10 access. For example, the user inserts with the programming tool 20 another job (not shown), the corresponding path points and actions, such as the opening and closing of the gripper, in the database 30 created, so they also in the simulation tool 10 be available. Conversely, the competent user changes using the simulation tool 10 the consequence of a fulfilled counter condition "≥ 100", such as approaching the recording instead of the home position, also becomes the database 30 changed accordingly and is also in the programming tool 20 to disposal.

In another embodiment of the present invention, instead, a program is on a computer 40 provided which one by the programming means 20 or simulation means 10 created or edited program based on dialog in the simulation tool 10 or programming means 20 transferred. In addition to the pure trajectory data, in particular the poses to be approached, the actions, for example the opening and closing of the gripper or counting the counter, also become active 24 , exported or imported. This happens partially automatically in dialogue with the user, for example on the screen of the PC 40 corresponding prompts or choices are displayed and the keyboard can for example parameterize the workpiece.

As by the spatial visualization in the simulation tool 10 indicated, this is CAD-based and uses for simulation CAD data of robots, peripherals or tools such as the conveyors 2A , ..., 2C , and workpieces 3A , ..., 3C , For simplified programming in particular models of conveyors 2A , ..., 2C , and the workpieces 3A , ..., 3C are not required, these are created in dialogue with the user or modified when the program by the programming means 20 in the simulation means 10 is transferred.

Consequently, the common database 30 , the PC or the implemented on this, dialog-based export / import program is a transfer agent in the sense of the present invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

robot

2A, ..., 2C

Föderer

3A

round workpiece

3B

angular workpiece

3C

assembled workpiece

10

simulant

11

CAD model of the robot 1

12A, ..., 12C

CAD model of the Föderers 2A , ..., 2C

13

simulated robot track

20

programming means

21A, ..., 21D

job

22

Home Position

23

transfer path

24

counter

30, 40

transfer agent

Claims (11)

System for programming a robot application ( 1 . 2A . 2 B . 2C ), with a programming means ( 20 ) for simplified programming of the robot application; a simulation tool ( 10 ) for simulation-based programming of the robot application, wherein the simulation means has a more powerful input and / or output capability than the programming means; and a transfer agent ( 30 ; 40 ) for processing and / or processing a program which has been created or edited with one of the programming and the simulation means, with the other of the programming and the simulation means. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the transfer means have a common database ( 30 ) for the programming and simulation means. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transfer means ( 40 ) is arranged for transferring the program of the one of the programming and the simulation means in the other of the programming and the simulation means. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transfer means operates at least partially automated. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transfer means ( 40 ) has an input and / or output option for a user dialog. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the programming and / or the simulation means for creating and / or processing of train points, in particular action points, is set up. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the programming means for task-based programming of the robot application and / or for programming a user interface is set up. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the simulation means for CAD-based programming and / or simulating the robot application is set up. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transfer means for processing and / or processing of actions and / or models ( 11 . 12A . 12B . 12C ) is set up. Method for programming a robot application ( 1 . 2A . 2 B . 2C A system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of: creating or editing a program for the robotic application with one of the programming and simulation means; and processing and / or processing this program with the other of the programming and simulation means. Transfer means for a system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it is adapted to carry out a method according to claim 10.

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