Distribution control apparatus

Claim 2

A distribution control apparatus comprising a plurality of distribution type controllers (20, 25 to 30) provided for corresponding portions of an object to be controlled, each distribution type controller including: first control means having control items relating to said object and authorizing one of the distribution type controllers, which operates under the lowest load when the portions of the object are controlled, to control the object based on the control items; and second control means processed along with said first control means in a multiprocessing, and having control items corresponding to the portions of the object to be controlled.

Claim 3

A distribution control apparatus comprising: drive source controllers (26 to 29), provided for joints of an articulated manipulator, for controlling drive sources arranged in said joints; a working controller (30), provided at a distal end portion of the articulated manipulator, for controlling the operation of a working drive source for a working hand; an outside-state recognition sensor (19) for recognizing the outside-state of the articulated manipu­lator; an outside-state recognition controller (20) for controlling the operation of the outside-state recogni­tion sensor, and for transmitting data; and an input/output controller (25) for controlling the input from the outside and the output to the outside, characterized in that each of said drive source controllers, the working controller, the outside-state recognition controller and the input/output controller includes: locus calculation means for calculating a locus of motion of the articulated manipulator, from the current position to a target position, by means of points set at predetermined intervals; interpolation calculation means for finding a variation of the angle of each joint between two adja­cent ones of the points obtained by said locus calcula­tion means; and calculation process shift means for detecting, at every operation cycle, the controller having the lowest operation rate, among the drive source controllers, the working controller, the outside-state recognition controller, and the input/output controller, and for authorizing the controller, found to have the lowest operation rate, to execute the locus calculation means and interpolation calculation means and to detect the controller having the lowest operation rate in the next operation cycle.

Claim 4

A distribution control apparatus comprising: drive source controllers (26 to 29), provided for joints of an articulated manipulator, for controlling drive sources arranged in said joints; a working controller (30), provided at a distal end portion of the articulated manipulator, for controlling the operation of a working drive source for a working hand; an outside-state recognition sensor (19) for recognizing the outside-state of the articulated manipu­lator; an outside-state recognition controller (20) for controlling the operation of the outside-state recogni­tion sensor, and for transmitting data; and an input/output controller (25) for controlling the input from the outside and the output to the outside, characterized in that each of said drive source controllers, the working controller, the outside-state recognition controller and the input/output controller includes: locus calculation means for calculating a locus of motion of the articulated manipulator, from the current position to a target position, by means of points set at predetermined intervals; interpolation calculation means for finding a variation of the angle of each joint between two adja­cent ones of the points obtained by said locus calcula­tion means; and calculation process shift means for detecting, at every operation cycle, the controller having the lowest operation rate, among the drive source controllers, the working controller, the outside-state recognition controller, and the input/output controller, and for authorizing the controller, found to have the lowest operation rate, to execute the locus calculation means and interpolation calculation means and to detect the controller having the lowest operation rate in the next operation cycle.

Claim 5

The apparatus according to claim 2, charac­terized in that said drive source is a servomotor (12).

Claim 6

The apparatus according to claim 2, charac­terized in that said drive source is a pulse motor.

Claim 7

The apparatus according to claim 2, charac­terized in that said drive source is an actuator.

Claim 8

The apparatus according to claim 2, charac­terized in that said working drive source is a ser­vomotor.

Claim 9

The apparatus according to claim 2, charac­terized in that said working drive source is a pulse motor.

Claim 10

The apparatus according to claim 2, charac­terized in that said working drive source is an actuator.

Claim 11

The apparatus according to claim 2, charac­terized in that said outside-state recognition sensor is an industrial TV camera.

Claim 12

The apparatus according to claim 2, charac­terized in that said outside-state recognition sensor is a solid image-pickup device.

Claim 13

The apparatus according to claim 2, charac­terized in that said calculation process shift means finds the operation rate of the controller, on the basis of the ratio of the operation rate calculation time in said cycle to the time in which at least the locus calculation means and the interpolation calculation means are activated.

Claim 14

A distribution control apparatus comprising: drive source controllers (26 to 29) provided for joints of an articulated manipulator and connected to each other through a redundant communication line, each drive source controller having a drive control program for controlling a drive source provided in each joint, each drive source controller reading out a drive source program for a servomotor provided in each joint thereby to control each drive source, each drive source controller including, fault detecting/malfunctioning part fixing means for informing, when a fault has occurred in the drive source to be controlled or in the drive source controller itself, other one of the controllers of the occurrence of the fault, and fixing a movable part of the malfunctioning drive source or the drive source to be controlled by the malfunctioning drive source controller, fault countermeasure means for supplying, when informed by said other one of the controllers of the occurrence of the fault, drive degree data for compen­sating the stop of operation of the malfunctioning drive source to the drive source associated with said other one of the controllers, line-breakage-time data transmitting means for transmitting, at the time of breakage of the com­munication line, data through any one of the drive source controllers, and drive degree change means for changing the control drive degree for the drive source to be controlled by the associated drive source controller, in accordance with the type of the drive source; a working controller (30), provided at a distal end portion of the articulated manipulator, for controlling the operation of a working drive source for a working hand; an outside-state recognition sensor (19) for recognizing the outside-state of the articulated manipu­lator; an outside-state recognition controller (20) for controlling the operation of the outside-state recogni­tion sensor, and for transmitting data; and an input/output controller (25) for controlling the input from the outside and the output to the outside, characterized in that each of said drive source controllers, the working controller, the outside-state recognition controller and the input/output controller includes: locus calculation means for calculating a locus of motion of the articulated manipulator, from the current position to a target position, by means of points set at predetermined intervals; interpolation calculation means for finding a variation of the angle of each joint between two adja­cent ones of the points obtained by said locus calcula­tion means; and calculation process shift means for detecting, at every operation cycle, the controller having the lowest operation rate, among the drive source controllers, the working controller, the outside-state recognition controller, and the input/output controller, and for authorizing the controller, found to have the lowest operation rate, to execute the locus calculation means and interpolation calculation means and to detect the controller having the lowest operation rate in the next operation cycle.

Claim 15

A distribution control apparatus comprising: drive source controllers (26 to 29) provided for joints of an articulated manipulator and connected to each other through a redundant communication line, each drive source controller having a drive control program for controlling a drive source provided in each joint, each drive source controller reading out a drive source program for a servomotor provided in each joint thereby to control each drive source, each drive source controller including, fault detecting/malfunctioning part fixing means for informing, when a fault has occurred in the drive source to be controlled or in the drive source controller itself, other one of the controllers of the occurrence of the fault, and fixing a movable part of the malfunctioning drive source or the drive source to be controlled by the malfunctioning drive source controller, fault countermeasure means for supplying, when informed by said other one of the controllers of the occurrence of the fault, drive degree data for compen­sating the stop of operation of the malfunctioning drive source to the drive source associated with said other one of the controllers, line-breakage-time data transmitting means for transmitting, at the time of breakage of the com­munication line, data through any one of the drive source controllers, and drive degree change means for changing the control drive degree for the drive source to be controlled by the associated drive source controller, in accordance with the type of the drive source; a working controller (30), provided at a distal end portion of the articulated manipulator, for controlling the operation of a working drive source for a working hand; an outside-state recognition sensor (19) for recognizing the outside-state of the articulated manipu­lator; an outside-state recognition controller (20) for controlling the operation of the outside-state recogni­tion sensor, and for transmitting data; and an input/output controller (25) for controlling the input from the outside and the output to the outside, characterized in that each of said drive source controllers, the working controller, the outside-state recognition controller and the input/output controller includes: locus calculation means for calculating a locus of motion of the articulated manipulator, from the current position to a target position, by means of points set at predetermined intervals; interpolation calculation means for finding a variation of the angle of each joint between two adja­cent ones of the points obtained by said locus calcula­tion means; and calculation process shift means for detecting, at every operation cycle, the controller having the lowest operation rate, among the drive source controllers, the working controller, the outside-state recognition controller, and the input/output controller, and for authorizing the controller, found to have the lowest operation rate, to execute the locus calculation means and interpolation calculation means and to detect the controller having the lowest operation rate in the next operation cycle.

Claim 16

The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that said drive source is a servomotor.

Claim 17

The apparatus according to claim 12, charac­terized in that said drive source is a pulse motor.

Claim 18

The apparatus according to claim 12, charac­terized in that said drive source is an actuator.

Claim 19

The apparatus according to claim 12, charac­terized in that said working drive source is a ser­vomotor.

Claim 20

The apparatus according to claim 12, charac­terized in that said working drive source is a pulse motor.

Claim 21

The apparatus according to claim 12, charac­terized in that said working drive source is an actuator.

Claim 22

The apparatus according to claim 12, charac­terized in that said outside-state recognition sensor is an industrial TV camera.

Claim 23

The apparatus according to claim 12, charac­terized in that said outside-state recognition sensor is a solid image-pickup device.

Claim 24

The apparatus according to claim 12, charac­terized in that said calculation process shift means finds the operation rate of the controller, on the basis of the ratio of the operation rate calculation time in said cycle to the time in which at least the locus calculation means and the interpolation calculation means are activated.