Patent ID: 8731886

Claim:
A simulator for estimating a life of a robot speed reducer, the simulator comprising: a controller, wherein the controller is a digital computer with a processor; the controller comprising: a rotation speed and load calculator for simulating a robot operation program and calculating the rotation speed of the robot speed reducer arranged with respect to an individual axis of the robot, and the load exerted on the speed reducer for each sampling period; a storage for chronologically correlating the rotation speed and the load calculated by the rotation speed and load calculator and storing the rotation speed and the load; a speed reducer life calculator for calculating the life of the robot speed reducer arranged with respect to an individual axis of the robot, based on the rotation speed and the load stored in the storage; an operating ratio setter for setting an operating ratio of the robot or the data that indirectly represent the operating ratio; a speed reducer life estimator for estimating the life of the speed reducer, based on the speed reducer life calculated by the speed reducer life calculator and the operating ratio set by the operating ratio setter; a reference value setter for setting a reference value of the load exerted on the speed reducer arranged with respect to an individual axis of the robot; an evaluator for determining, by using an evaluation function, whether the load calculated by the rotation speed and load calculator exceeds the reference value set by the reference value setter; a path fixer for fixing the path of the tool tip of the robot, regardless of a speed command of the operation program; a maximum speed setter for setting a speed command value of the operation program to a maximum speed according to a predetermined rule, while the path is fixed by the path fixer; and a program changer for determining, by using the evaluation function, whether the load exerted on the speed reducer which the load is chronologically stored in the storage exceeds the reference value which is set as the upper limit by the reference value setter and, when the load exceeds the reference value, for changing the operation program, with the path fixed by the path fixer, to decrease the speed command value of the operation program from the maximum speed by a given value so that the load exerted on the speed reducer is no more than the reference value.