Robot operation apparatus, robot system, and robot operation program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10076839-B2
Application number	US-201415023622-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2014
Priority date	Sep 20, 2013
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

A robot operation apparatus includes touch panel, touch operation detecting unit, action command generating unit, and selection operation detecting unit. The action command generating unit is capable of performing an operation determining process and an action command generating process. The operation determining process is a process for determining a drive axis or an action mode of a robot to be operated based on the selection operation detected by the selection operation detecting unit, and when a touch operation detected by the touch operation detecting unit is a drag operation, determining a movement amount of the drag operation. The action command generating process is a process for determining a movement amount of the robot based on the movement amount determined by in the operation determining process, and generating an action command for moving the robot at the drive axis or in the action mode to be operated by the movement amount.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot operation apparatus comprising:
a touch panel that receives input of a touch operation from a user;
a touch operation detecting unit that is capable of detecting a touch operation in a planar direction that is inputted to the touch panel;
an action command generating unit that generates an action command for operating an articulated robot having a plurality of drive axes, based on a detection result from the touch operation detecting unit; and
a selection operation detecting unit that detects a selection operation by a user for selecting a drive axis or an action mode of the robot to be operated, wherein
the action command generating unit is configured to perform:
an operation determining process for determining the drive axis or the action mode of the robot to be operated based on the selection operation detected by the selection operation detecting unit, and when the touch operation detected by the touch operation detecting unit is a drag operation, determining a movement amount of the drag operation, and
an action command generating process for determining a movement amount of the robot based on the movement amount of the drag operation determined in the operation determining process, and generating an action command for moving the robot at the drive axis or in the action mode to be operated by the movement amount, and

the operation determining process includes a process for determining the drive axis or the action mode to be operated based on a number of fingers or an operating direction, or the number of fingers and the operating direction of a drag operation, when the touch operation detected by the selection operation detecting unit is the drag operation.

2. The robot operation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the operation determining process includes
a first operation determining process for determining whether or not the detected touch operation is a first operation that is a drag operation by a single finger,
a second operation determining process for determining whether or not the detected touch operation is a second operation that is a drag operation by two fingers and an operation in a predetermined direction, and
a third operation determining process for determining whether or not the detected touch operation is a third operation that is a drag operation by two fingers and an operation in a direction differing from that of the second operation; and

the action command generating process includes
a horizontal movement action command generating process for generating, when determined that the touch operation is the first operation in the first operation determining process, the action command for moving a hand of the robot in a planar direction that is horizontal to an action reference plane of the robot,
a vertical movement action command generating process for generating, when determined that the touch operation is the second operation in the second operation determining process, the action command for moving the hand of the robot along a vertical axis direction perpendicular to the action reference plane, and
a rotation action command generating process for generating, when determined that the touch operation is the third operation in the third operation determining process, the action command for rotating the hand of the robot.

3. The robot operation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the second operation is a drag operation by two fingers in a linear direction, and an operation in which a distance between the fingers gradually shortens or gradually lengthens during a period in which the drag operation is performed;
the third operation is a drag operation by two fingers in a circumferential direction; and
the vertical movement action command generating process includes
an approaching command generating process for generating, when the second operation is that in which the distance between the fingers gradually lengthens, the action command for moving the hand of the robot in a direction approaching the action reference plane, and
a separating command generating process for generating, when the second operation is that in which the distance between the fingers gradually shortens, the action command for moving the hand of the robot in a direction away from the action reference plane.

4. The robot operation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the second operation is an operation in a vertical direction on the touch panel; and
the third operation is an operation in a lateral direction perpendicular to the vertical direction on the touch panel.

5. The robot operation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the action command generating unit determines, when a single location of a touch operation is detected, the number of fingers of the touch operation after the elapse of a predetermined allowable delay time from the time of detection.

6. The robot operation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the action command generating unit extracts, in a touch operation by a plurality of fingers, two fingers of which a distance between touch positions of the fingers is the farthest, among the plurality of fingers, determines that the drag operation is not an operation in a circumferential direction when an angle formed by a vector related to movement of either of the two fingers and a vector between the two fingers is less than a determination threshold, and determines that the drag operation is an operation in a circumferential direction when the angle is the determination threshold or greater.

7. The robot operation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the action command generating unit disables, when a drag operation is detected, detection of a touch operation in an area within a predetermined range near a touch location by the touch operation, over a period until the drag operation is completed.

8. The robot operation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the touch panel is divided into a first area and a second area in which an operation in a single direction or in two directions that are perpendicular to each other can be detected by the touch operation detecting unit; and
the action command generating unit generates action commands for a drive axis or an action mode that differ between when a drag operation detected by the touch operation detecting unit is performed in the first area and when the drag operation is performed in the second area.

9. The robot operation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the action command generating unit is capable of performing
an operation determining process for determining, when a touch operation detected by the touch operation detecting unit is a drag operation, a movement amount of a finger in the drag operation,
a speed calculating process for calculating a movement speed of the robot based on the movement amount of the finger detected in the operation determining process, and
an action command generating process for generating an action command for moving the robot at the movement speed calculated in the speed calculating process.

10. The robot operation apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein:
the action command generating unit is capable of performing a movement amount calculating process for calculating a movement distance of the robot based on the movement amount of the finger; and
the speed calculating process is a process for determining a movement speed of the robot based on a value obtained by the movement amount of the finger being divided by an amount of time required for input of the drag operation.

11. The robot operation apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein:
the action command generating unit is capable of pe

Assignees

• Denso Wave Inc

Inventors

• Touma Hirota
• Kawase Daisuke
• Ogawa Akira
• Yui Daisuke
• Kanada Motoki
• Ohashi Yoshinobu
• Sugano Atsuko
• Ide Satoshi

Classifications

• B25J13/06 Primary

  Control stands, e.g. consoles, switchboards · CPC title

• G05B2219/36168

  Touchscreen · CPC title

• B25J9/1658

  characterised by programming language · CPC title

• G05B2219/40392

  Programming, visual robot programming language · CPC title

• G05B19/409

  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 title