Controller and conveyance system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10363645-B2
Application number	US-201615774716-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2016
Priority date	Feb 8, 2016
Publication date	Jul 30, 2019
Grant date	Jul 30, 2019

Abstract

A workpiece simulation part estimates the amount of movement of the workpiece from drive information and estimates the current position of the workpiece by adding the amount of movement to the previous position of the workpiece, the drive information being generated for, among at least one actuator, an actuator that is assumed to constrain the workpiece under the constraint conditions. A sensor simulation part uses the current position of the workpiece to generate sensor simulation information. An input/output switching part transmits the drive information to the workpiece simulation part and transmits the sensor simulation information as alternate information of the sensor information to the control-program execution part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A controller for use in a conveyance system that outputs a drive signal to at least one actuator that conveys a workpiece while referencing a sensor signal received from at least one sensor that detects a workpiece, the controller comprising:
an external interface that includes an actuator output part and a sensor input part, the actuator output part receiving drive information for controlling the actuator, and transmitting the drive signal to the actuator in accordance with the drive information, and the sensor input part receiving the sensor signal from the sensor and generating sensor information in accordance with the sensor signal;
a settings input part that receives input of a control program and constraint-condition setting information from a user, the control program being a program for generating the drive information while referencing the sensor information, and the constraint-condition setting information being instruction information that is associated with the control program to change a constraint condition assumed between the workpiece and the actuator;
a control-program execution part that processes the control program and includes a constraint-condition change instruction processor that issues a constraint-condition change instruction in accordance with the constraint-condition setting information;
a constraint-condition change part that manages the constraint condition in accordance with the constraint-condition change instruction issued by the constraint-condition change instruction processor;
a workpiece simulation part that estimates an amount of movement of the workpiece from the drive information and estimates a current position of the workpiece by adding the amount of movement to a previous position of the workpiece, the drive information being generated by the control-program execution part and generated for, among the at least one actuator, an actuator that is assumed to be constrained by the workpiece under the constraint condition managed by the constraint-condition change part;
a sensor simulation part that uses information about the current position of the workpiece estimated by the workpiece simulation part to generate sensor simulation information that simulates the sensor information; and
an input/output switching part that has at least a sensor simulation mode as an operation mode,
wherein in the sensor simulation mode, the input/output switching part transmits the drive information generated by the control-program execution part to at least the workpiece simulation part and transmits the sensor simulation information generated by the sensor simulation part as alternate information of the sensor information to the control-program execution part.

2. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
in the sensor simulation mode, the input/output switching part transmits the drive information generated by the control-program execution part to the actuator output part.

3. The controller according to claim 2 , wherein
the input/output switching part includes an output suppression part that is capable of temporarily invalidating an output of the drive information to the actuator output part.

4. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the input/output switching part further has a sensor operating mode, and in the sensor operating mode, the input/output switching part transmits the sensor information generated by the sensor input part to the control-program execution part.

5. The controller according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a signal comparator,
wherein the input/output switching part further has a combined mode, and in the combined mode, the input/output switching part transmits the sensor information generated by the sensor input part to each of the control-program execution part and the signal comparator and transmits the sensor simulation information generated by the sensor simulation part to the signal comparator, and
the signal comparator compares the sensor information and the sensor simulation information.

6. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the actuator includes an action part that acts on the workpiece,
the settings input part receives machine configuration information about the actuator, and
the workpiece simulation part includes an actuator path generator that calculates a path along which the action part of the actuator operates, from the machine configuration information about the actuator and the drive information generated by the control-program execution part.

7. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the workpiece simulation part includes an ineffective-action-interval determination part that sets an ineffective part that does not contribute to the amount of movement of the workpiece out of an amount of displacement of the actuator indicated by the drive information.

8. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the external interface is connectable to other equipment, in addition to the sensor and the actuator,
the controller further comprising:
other-equipment simulation part that performs a simulation of the other equipment.

9. The controller according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an external scenario execution part that issues an instruction to change internal data of at least one of the control-program execution part, the constraint-condition change part, the workpiece simulation part, the sensor simulation part, and the input/output switching part.

10. A conveyance system comprising:
an actuator that conveys a workpiece;
a sensor that detects the workpiece; and
a controller for outputting a drive signal to the actuator while referencing a sensor signal received from the sensor,
the controller including:
an external interface that includes an actuator output part and a sensor input part, the actuator output part receiving drive information for controlling the actuator, and transmitting the drive signal to the actuator in accordance with the drive information, and the sensor input part receiving the sensor signal from the sensor and generating sensor information in accordance with the sensor signal;
a settings input part that receives input of a control program and constraint-condition setting information from a user, the control program being a program for generating the drive information while referencing the sensor information, and the constraint-condition setting information being instruction information that is associated with the control program to change a constraint condition assumed between the workpiece and the actuator;
a control-program execution part that processes the control program and includes a constraint-condition change instruction processor that issues a constraint-condition change instruction in accordance with the constraint-condition setting information;
a constraint-condition change part that manages the constraint condition in accordance with the constraint-condition change instruction issued by the constraint-condition change instruction processor;
a workpiece simulation part that estimates an amount of movement of the workpiece from the drive information and estimates a current position of the workpiece by adding the amount of movement to a previous position of the workpiece, the drive information being generated by the control-program execution part and generated for, among the at least one actuator, an actuator that is assumed to be constrained by the workpiece under the constraint condition managed by the constraint-condition change part;
a sensor simulation part that uses information about the current position of the workpiece estimated by the workpiece simulation part to generate sensor simulation information that simulates the sensor

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Nagatani Tatsuya
• Minamide Hideaki
• Yoshikawa Tsutomu

Classifications

• G05B19/4189

  characterised by the transport system · CPC title

• G05B19/0423

  Input/output · CPC title

• B65G43/00 Primary

  Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting · CPC title

• B23Q15/24

  of linear position · CPC title

• B23Q15/22 Primary

  Control or regulation of position of tool or workpiece · CPC title