Programming method and apparatus for robot movement

A robot movement programming method for creating a program for moving a robot along a movement path using an information processing device, said method comprising:

• creating at least one sample program for defining a plurality of sequence patterns of movement of the robot for a sample workpiece;
• preparing conversion formulas as mathematical functions representing geometric figures for obtaining position data of teaching points of the at least one sample program, said conversion formulas including geometric quantities of said sample workpiece as dimension variables such that movement data for multiple workpieces with the same or common shapes but differing geometric dimensions can be determined by changing values of the dimension variables, to define a movement path for the sample workpiece;
• registering the at least one sample program and conversions formulas in a pattern library;
• selecting at least one sequence pattern from said plurality of sequence patterns and determining a movement sequence of the robot comprising the selected at least one sequence pattern, combining the selected at least one sequence pattern to create a single sequence pattern if more than one of the sequence patterns is selected as the at least one sequence pattern, and registering the at least one sample program for said sample workpiece, the at least one sequence pattern, and any corresponding conversion formulas for the selected or single sequence pattern in the pattern library;
• changing dimension variable values in said corresponding conversion formulas for a new workpiece of the same or common shape but having different geometric dimensions;
• calculating teaching point position data for the determined movement sequence, determined by software means based on said corresponding conversion formulas and said changed dimension variables for said new workpiece;
• and
• obtaining a robot movement program based on said calculated teaching point position data for said new workpiece.

A robot movement programming apparatus for creating a program for moving a robot along a movement path, comprising:

• sample program storing means for storing at least one sample program defining a plurality of sequence patterns movement of the robot for a sample workpiece, wherein the at least one sample program includes conversion formulas as mathematical functions representing geometric figures for obtaining position data of teaching points, with the conversion formulas including geometric quantities of said sample workpiece as dimension variables such that movement data for multiple workpieces with the same or common shapes but differing geometric dimensions can be determined by changing values of the dimension variables, to define a movement path for the sample workpiece;
• movement sequence storing means for storing a robot movement sequence comprising one of said at least one sequence pattern selected from the sequence patterns by an operator;
• variable editing means for changing dimension variable values in any conversion formulas corresponding to the selected one sequence pattern, with the changed dimension variables being geometric dimensions for a new workpiece and input by the operator for the new workpiece, the new workpiece having the same or common shape but with different geometric dimensions;
• calculating means for calculating teaching point position data with respect to the robot movement sequence, using the corresponding conversion formulas and the changed dimension variables for said new workpiece;
• and
• means for creating a robot movement program for said new workpiece based on the calculated teaching point position data.

A robot movement method for moving a robot along a movement path, based on a sample program including a conversion formula for obtaining position data of teaching points, with the conversion formula including geometric quantities of a sample workpiece as dimension variables such that movement path data for multiple workpieces with the same or common shapes but differing geometric dimensions can be determined by changing values of the dimension variables, comprising:

• changing values of dimension variables of the conversion formula based on user entered geometric dimensions of a new workpiece;
• calculating movement path data for the new workpiece based on said conversion formula and the changed dimension variable values;
• and
• programming the robot to operate along the calculated movement path.