Control apparatus for industrial robot

A control apparatus for an articulated industrial robot which holds a workpiece for movement relative to at least one fixed tool, the robot having a base reference point and a mechanical interface point, the tool having a tool tip, the workpiece having a workpiece reference point, the control apparatus comprising:

• setting data input means for entering setting data which include a positional and attitudinal relation Et of the tool tip relative to the robot base reference point as well as a positional and attitudinal relation Ew of the workpiece reference point relative to the robot mechanical reference point;
• means for determining a positional and attitudinal relation T of the robot mechanical interface point relative to the robot base reference point;
• means for supplying a positional and attitudinal relation wXt.sub.j of the tool tip relative to the workpiece reference point and for supplying a translation speed v.sub.j of the workpiece relative to the tool;
• task programming means for preparing and storing a task program which includes a plurality of teaching data corresponding to teaching points, each of the teaching data containing at least the relation wXt.sub.j and the translational speed v.sub.j ;
• teaching data extraction means for successively taking out the teaching data from the task program;
• trajectory planning means for planning a trajectory of the workpiece relative to the tool in accordance with the teaching data taken out by the teaching data extraction means;
• interpolation means for interpolating the trajectory between each two successive teaching points;
• and
• instruction means for causing the robot to move the workpiece along the interpolated trajectory.