Multi-Type Industrial Robot Control System, Apparatus and Method

A multi-type industrial robot control apparatus comprising:

• a data switch for receiving first command data from an automation controller;
• and sending acquired robot state data to the automation controller;
• wherein the first command data comprises first command data obtained by the automation controller calling a corresponding robot control function block according to a control program for a robot and in conjunction with robot state data from the switch, the control program written by a user based on a general-purpose robot control function block generated in compliance with a unified design standard and stored in the automation controller;
• a robot control application programming interface for virtualizing robot interfaces of corresponding offline programming functions of different types of robot as a unified virtual interface;
• a command manager for performing a correctness check on the first command data, and when the check is passed, extracting a valid data field therefrom for parsing to obtain a corresponding command set, and caching the command set;
• a command execution module for reading the command set, and calling and running a corresponding offline programming function of a corresponding robot via the virtual interface provided by the robot control application programming interface according to the command set, to generate second command data;
• a robot state manager for reading, via the virtual interface provided by the robot control application programming interface, robot state data returned by the robot controller, packaging the robot state data and then providing same to the data switch;
• and
• a robot communication interface for outputting the second command data to a corresponding robot controller, and receiving robot state data returned by the robot controller.

A multi-type industrial robot control method comprising:

• receiving a control program for a robot written by a user based on a general-purpose robot control function block generated in compliance with a unified design standard and stored in the automation controller;
• receiving robot state data fed back by a PLC-robot bridge;
• calling a corresponding robot control function block according to the control program and the robot state data;
• transmitting corresponding first command data to the PLC-robot bridge;
• receiving the first command data;
• calling a corresponding offline programming function of a corresponding type of robot via a unified virtual interface according to the first command data;
• generating second command data for output to a corresponding robot controller;
• controlling a corresponding robot;
• wherein the unified virtual interface is obtained by virtualizing robot interfaces of corresponding offline programming functions of different types of robot;
• and
• receiving robot state data from a corresponding type of robot via the unified virtual interface, and feeding the robot state data back to the automation controller.