Operation command generation device, operation command generation method, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and process system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016144506-A1
Application number	US-201514945437-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 19, 2015
Priority date	Nov 21, 2014
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is an operation command generation device including: an execution order determination unit configured to determine, based on respective arrangement positions of a plurality of process symbols each representing a process for a process subject on a protocol chart including the plurality of process symbols, an execution order of the plurality of process symbols; and a process symbol conversion unit configured to respectively convert the plurality of process symbols into jobs for a process system including at least a robot so that processes represented by the plurality of process symbols are executed in the execution order determined by the execution order determination unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An operation command generation device, comprising:
an execution order determination unit configured to determine, based on respective arrangement positions of a plurality of process symbols each representing a process for a process subject on a protocol chart comprising the plurality of process symbols, an execution order of the plurality of process symbols; and a process symbol conversion unit configured to respectively convert the plurality of process symbols into jobs for a process system comprising at least a robot so that processes represented by the plurality of process symbols are executed in the execution order determined by the execution order determination unit.

2 . The operation command generation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the protocol chart further comprises an initial symbol with which at least one process symbol is associated, the initial symbol representing a container for the process subject, and wherein the operation command generation device further comprises an initial symbol conversion unit configured to convert the initial symbol into a job of preparing the container for containing the process subject.

3 . The operation command generation device according to claim 1 , further comprising a process symbol position specification unit configured to specify at least two process symbols equal to each other in the arrangement position in a first direction out of the plurality of process symbols,
wherein the execution order determination unit is further configured to determine an execution order of the at least two process symbols specified by the process symbol position specification unit based on the arrangement positions of the at least two process symbols in a second direction intersecting the first direction.

4 . The operation command generation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the protocol chart further comprises an initial symbol with which at least one process symbol is associated, the initial symbol representing a container for the process subject, wherein the operation command generation device further comprises a number-of-containers extraction unit configured to extract a number of containers associated with the initial symbol based on the protocol chart, and wherein the process symbol conversion unit is further configured to convert the process symbol associated with the initial symbol into as many jobs as the number of containers extracted by the number-of-containers extraction unit.

5 . The operation command generation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the protocol chart further comprises a transfer symbol representing a transfer process of transferring the process subject from a first container to a second container, and wherein the operation command generation device further comprises a transfer symbol conversion unit configured to convert the transfer symbol into a job of transferring the process subject from the first container to the second container.

6 . The operation command generation device according to claim 5 , further comprising a transfer rule setting unit configured to set a first transfer rule when a number of the first containers and a number of the second containers are equal to each other,
wherein the transfer symbol conversion unit is further configured to convert, based on the first transfer rule, the transfer symbol into a job of repeating a process of transferring the process subject from the first container to the second container in a one-to-one manner as many times as the number of the first containers.

7 . The operation command generation device according to claim 5 , further comprising a transfer rule setting unit configured to set a second transfer rule when a number of the first containers is at least two and the number of the second containers is one,
wherein the transfer symbol conversion unit is further configured to convert, based on the second transfer rule, the transfer symbol into a job of repeating a process of transferring the process subject from the first container to the second container for all the first containers.

8 . The operation command generation device according to claim 5 , further comprising a transfer rule setting unit configured to set a third transfer rule when a number of the first containers is one and a number of the second containers is at least two,
wherein the transfer symbol conversion unit is further configured to convert, based on the third transfer rule, the transfer symbol into a job of repeating a process of transferring the process subject from the first container to the second container for all the second containers.

9 . The operation command generation device according to claim 5 , further comprising a transfer rule setting unit configured to set a fourth transfer rule when a number of the first containers is at least two and a number of the second containers is at least two,
wherein the transfer symbol conversion unit is further configured to convert, based on the fourth transfer rule, the transfer symbol into a job of repeating a process of transferring the process subject from the first container to an intermediate container for all the first containers, and then repeating a process of transferring the process subject from the intermediate container to the second container for all the second containers.

10 . The operation command generation device according to claim 5 , further comprising a transfer rule setting unit configured to set a fifth transfer rule when a number of the first containers is at least two, a number of the second containers is at least two, and the number of the second containers is n times as many as the number of the first containers, where n is an integer,
wherein the transfer symbol conversion unit is further configured to convert, based on the fifth transfer rule, the transfer symbol into a job of repeating a process of transferring the process subject from a single first container to n second containers for all the first containers and all the second containers.

11 . The operation command generation device according to claim 5 , further comprising a transfer rule setting unit configured to set a sixth transfer rule when a number of the first containers is at least two, a number of the second containers is at least two, and the number of the first containers is n times as many as the number of the second containers, where n is an integer,
wherein the transfer symbol conversion unit is further configured to convert, based on the sixth transfer rule, the transfer symbol into a job of repeating a process of transferring the process subject from n first containers to a single second container for all the first containers and all the second containers.

12 . The operation command generation device according to claim 5 , further comprising a transfer rule setting unit configured to set a seventh transfer rule when a number of the first containers is at least two and a number of the second containers is at least two,
wherein the transfer symbol conversion unit is further configured to convert, based on the seventh transfer rule, the transfer symbol into a job of repeating a process of transferring the process subject from a single first container to all the second containers for all the first containers.

13 . The operation command generation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the protocol chart further comprises a parallel process symbol arranged so as to be associated with a process symbol, wherein the operation command generation device further comprises a parallel process setting unit configured to make such a setting that a first process represent

Assignees

• Nat Inst Of Advanced Ind Scien
• Yaskawa Denki Seisakusho Kk

Inventors

• Natsume Toru
• Nagasaki Takashi
• Umeno Makoto
• Ipposhi Tatsuro
• Kariyazaki Kazuhiro

Classifications

• B25J9/1656 Primary

  characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators · CPC title

• B25J9/1612

  characterised by the hand, wrist, grip control · CPC title

• Y10S901/02

  Arm motion controller · CPC title

• B25J9/1661

  characterised by task planning, object-oriented languages · CPC title

• B25J9/1602 Primary

  characterised by the control system, structure, architecture · CPC title