Robot anti-collision system and method based on laser radar

Abstract

The invention discloses a robot anti-collision system and method based on a laser radar, and relates to the technical field of industrial robot safety protection, in particular to the robot anti-collision system and method based on the laser radar. The laser radar is used for scanning a robot operation area in real time to obtain position information and distance information of a target around the robot; the safety area division module is used for dividing the detection space around the robot into a plurality of safety level areas according to the detection data of the laser radar; the signal output module 30 is used for outputting a signal when a target is detected to enter areas with different safety levels; the robot control module is used for receiving the digital output signal; and the safety recovery module is used for carrying out safety confirmation and controlled recovery on the recovery operation after the danger is removed after the robot enters the alarm shutdown state. Through laser radar real-time sensing, grading area division, digital signal linkage control and an alarm locking recovery mechanism, early warning, grading protection and controlled recovery in the operation process of the robot are achieved, and therefore the anti-collision safety and operation reliability of the robot are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of industrial robot safety protection technology, and in particular to a robot anti-collision system and method based on lidar. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous improvement of industrial automation, industrial robots have been widely used in tasks such as handling, assembly, welding, and sorting. In application environments where robots and personnel may share or work adjacent to each other, ensuring personnel safety while maintaining robot operating efficiency has become a crucial issue in robot system design.

[0003] Existing industrial robot collision avoidance technologies mainly include physical isolation methods such as safety fences, photoelectric protection devices, and safety mats, as well as collision detection methods based on dynamic parameters such as joint torque and current. Most of these technical solutions rely on fixed isolation areas or respond only after the robot has already collided, made contact, or been subjected to abnormal forces. These are passive protection methods and are difficult to effectively prevent collisions before they occur.

[0004] In addition, some existing safety detection methods have the following shortcomings: First, the perception range is limited, and there is a lack of continuous, real-time, and hierarchical safety identification capabilities for the approach of personnel or obstacles; Second, the degree of linkage with the robot control system is insufficient, and it can often only achieve single stop control, lacking multi-level safety strategies such as prompts, deceleration, and emergency stops; Third, in terms of recovery control after the danger has been eliminated, existing solutions generally lack reliable locking and manual confirmation mechanisms, which can easily lead to erroneous recovery or secondary risks during the recovery process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings and deficiencies of existing technologies by providing a robot collision avoidance system and method based on lidar. Through real-time lidar perception, hierarchical area division, digital signal linkage control, and alarm lock-and-recovery mechanism, it achieves early warning, hierarchical protection, and controlled recovery during robot operation, thereby effectively improving the robot's collision avoidance safety and operational reliability.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a robot collision avoidance system based on lidar, comprising a lidar 10, a safety zone division module 20, a signal output module 30, a robot control module 40, an alarm notification module 50, a safety recovery module 60, and a robot body 70. The lidar 10 is used to scan the robot's operating area in real time to obtain the position and distance information of targets around the robot. The safety zone division module 20 is used to divide the detection space around the robot into multiple safety level zones based on the detection data from the lidar. These multiple safety level zones include at least an attention zone, a warning zone, and an alarm zone. The signal output module 30... The output module 30 is used to output a digital output signal that matches the corresponding security level area when a target is detected entering a different security level area; the robot control module 40 is used to receive the digital output signal and execute the corresponding hierarchical safety control strategy according to the security level area where the target is located; the alarm prompt module 50 is used to execute at least one of voice prompts, audible and visual alarms or interface alarms when a target enters a different security level area; the safety recovery module 60 is used to perform safety confirmation and controlled recovery of the recovery operation after the danger is cleared after the robot enters the alarm stop state; the laser radar 10 is installed on the robotic arm of the robot body 70 or on the four sides of the worktable.

[0007] The safety zone division module 20 divides the detection space around the robot into a attention zone 201, a warning zone 202, and an alarm zone 203. The detection range of the attention zone 201 is 3-5 meters away from the robot or the lidar. The detection range of the warning zone 202 is 1-3 meters away from the robot or the lidar. The detection range of the alarm zone 203 is within 1 meter of the robot or the lidar.

[0008] The digital output signal output by the signal output module 30 includes at least a first digital output signal D. O1 Second digital output signal D O2 and the third digital output signal D O3 Wherein, the first digital output signal D O1 Corresponding to the attention area 201, the second digital output signal D O2 Corresponding to the warning zone 202, the third digital output signal D O3 Corresponding to the alarm zone 203; the robot control module 40 is provided with multiple digital input ports, and each digital output signal is connected to the corresponding digital input port of the robot control module 40 through hardware wiring, so as to form a one-to-one linkage relationship between different safety level zones and robot control input.

[0009] The safety recovery module 60 is used to maintain system lock after the robot enters the alarm state, so that the robot does not automatically resume operation after the target leaves the alarm zone. After confirming that the site is safe, the operator can cancel the alarm state through the human-machine interface and manually perform the robot power-on and restart operations. The safety recovery module 60 is also used to continue to monitor the attention zone 201, the warning zone 202 and the alarm zone 203 for a preset monitoring time after the robot restarts. If the target is detected to enter the warning zone or the alarm zone again within the preset monitoring time, the corresponding hierarchical safety control strategy is re-triggered.

[0010] A collision avoidance method for robots based on lidar, the collision avoidance method comprising the following steps:

[0011] S1. The robot's working area is scanned in real time by LiDAR to obtain the position and distance information of targets around the robot; based on the distance between the target and the robot or LiDAR, the detection space is divided into attention zone, warning zone and alarm zone, and the corresponding area status signal is output.

[0012] S2. Send the status signals of different areas to the digital input port of the robot control module through the digital output port;

[0013] S3. When the target enters the attention zone 201, a safety alert is triggered, and the robot continues to operate normally;

[0014] S4. When the target enters the warning zone 202, a safety warning is triggered and the robot is controlled to slow down.

[0015] S5. When the target moves away from the warning zone 202 and returns to the attention zone, control the robot to resume its original running speed;

[0016] S6. When the target enters the alarm zone 203, the robot is controlled to stop immediately and power off, while simultaneously outputting an alarm message;

[0017] S7. After the alarm is triggered, the system remains locked until the operator confirms the safety on site, then the lock is released and the robot operation is manually resumed.

[0018] S8. After the robot resumes startup, it will continue to monitor the safe area for a preset period of time. If an abnormal approach to the target is detected again, the corresponding safety control will be re-executed.

[0019] In step S3, when the target enters the attention zone 201, the lidar 10 outputs the first digital output signal D. O1 The robot control module 40 receives the first digital output signal D. O1 Then, a voice prompt or audio-visual prompt will be triggered;

[0020] In step S4, when the target enters the warning zone 202, the lidar 10 outputs the second digital output signal D. O2 The robot control module 40 received the second digital output signal D. O2 Then, while issuing a prompt message, the robot's operating speed is reduced to 15% of its rated speed.

[0021] In step S5, when the target enters the alarm zone 203, the lidar 10 outputs the third digital output signal D. O3 The robot control module 40 receives the third digital output signal D. O3 Immediately afterwards, the robot will be stopped and powered down, triggering an audible and visual alarm and displaying alarm information on the operating interface. In the alarm state, even if the target leaves the alarm zone 203, the system will remain locked and the robot will not automatically resume operation. The robot can only be powered on and started again after the operator completes the safety confirmation and clears the alarm state.

[0022] The working principle of this invention is as follows: During the operation of the robot body 70, the lidar 10 is installed on the robotic arm of the robot body 70 or on the four sides of the worktable to scan the robot's working area in real time and continuously acquire the position and distance information of people or obstacles around the robot. The safety zone division module 20 divides the detection space around the robot into multiple zones with different safety levels based on the detection data collected by the lidar 10, including at least a notice zone 201, a warning zone 202, and an alarm zone 203. The notice zone 201 has a detection range of 3-5 meters from the robot or lidar, the warning zone 202 has a detection range of 1-3 meters from the robot or lidar, and the alarm zone 203 has a detection range within 1 meter of the robot or lidar.

[0023] During system operation, the signal output module 30 outputs corresponding digital output signals according to the different security level areas where the target is located, wherein the first digital output signal D O1 The corresponding attention area is 201, and the second digital output signal is D. O2 Corresponding to warning zone 202, the third digital output signal D O3 Corresponding to alarm zone 203; the aforementioned digital output signals are respectively connected to the corresponding digital input ports of the robot control module 40 via hardware wiring to form a one-to-one correspondence and linkage between different safety level zones and robot control inputs. The robot control module 40 receives each digital input signal in real time and executes the corresponding hierarchical safety control strategy according to the target area.

[0024] When the target enters the attention zone 201, the lidar 10 outputs the first digital output signal D. O1After receiving the signal, the robot control module 40 controls the alarm prompt module 50 to issue a voice prompt or sound and light prompt to remind people who are approaching. At this time, the robot body 70 continues to operate normally, thus achieving early warning without affecting normal operation.

[0025] When the target continues to approach and enters the warning zone 202, the lidar 10 outputs the second digital output signal D. O2 Upon receiving the signal, the robot control module 40, while controlling the alarm prompt module 50 to continue issuing prompts, controls the robot body 70 to reduce its running speed to 15% of the rated speed to reduce the risk of collision during robot operation. When the target moves away from the warning zone 202 and returns to the attention zone 201, the robot control module 40 automatically controls the robot to resume its original running speed and continue to perform the operation according to the warning signal cancellation status.

[0026] When the target further enters the alarm zone 203, the lidar 10 outputs the third digital output signal D. O3 Upon receiving the signal, the robot control module 40 immediately controls the robot body 70 to perform an emergency stop and power down. At the same time, it triggers the alarm prompt module 50 to issue an audible and visual alarm and displays the alarm information on the operation interface to prevent the robot from continuing to move and avoid a collision accident.

[0027] After an alarm is triggered, the safety recovery module 60 keeps the system locked. Even if the target leaves the alarm zone 203, the robot body 70 will not automatically resume operation. The operator must confirm the safety of the site environment and clear the alarm state through the human-machine interface before manually powering on and restarting the robot. After the robot resumes operation, the safety recovery module 60 continues to monitor the attention zone 201, the warning zone 202, and the alarm zone 203 for a preset monitoring time. If a target is detected entering the warning zone 202 or the alarm zone 203 again, the system will re-trigger the corresponding deceleration control or shutdown control to ensure that the robot has reliable safety protection capabilities during the recovery phase.

[0028] After adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: it scans the robot's working area in real time using lidar and divides the detection space around the robot into attention zone, warning zone and alarm zone, enabling the system to achieve hierarchical identification and early intervention based on the change in distance between the target and the robot. Compared with the existing protection method that only responds after a collision, it can carry out preventive control before a collision occurs, thereby effectively improving the safety of the robot during operation.

[0029] It implements graded safety control strategies such as prompting, deceleration, and emergency stop according to different risk levels. Specifically, when a target enters the attention zone, it first prompts the robot; when the target enters the warning zone, it controls the robot to slow down; and when the target enters the alarm zone, it controls the robot to stop and power down immediately. This achieves progressive control from low-risk reminders to high-risk mandatory protection, which can ensure safety while also taking into account the robot's normal operating efficiency.

[0030] The present invention also includes a safety recovery mechanism that includes alarm locking, manual confirmation to deactivate, and continuous monitoring after restarting. This avoids the risk of false restarts caused by the system automatically resuming operation after a dangerous target has been temporarily removed, and further improves the reliability and safety closed-loop control capability of the robot system.

[0031] This invention has the advantages of strong early warning capability, good hierarchical control effect, fast linkage response speed, and safe and reliable recovery mechanism. It is applicable to various scenarios such as industrial robots, collaborative robots and automated work units, and has good practical value and promotion significance. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some specific embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 This is an application state diagram of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Top view;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic block diagram of a robot collision avoidance system based on lidar in this invention;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a robot collision avoidance method based on lidar in this invention.

[0037] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: LiDAR 10, Safety Zone Division Module 20, Attention Zone 201, Warning Zone 202, Alarm Zone 203, Signal Output Module 30, Robot Control Module 40, Alarm Prompt Module 50, Safety Recovery Module 60, Robot Body 70. Detailed Implementation

[0038] See Figure 1-4As shown in the figure, a robot collision avoidance system based on LiDAR in this specific embodiment includes a LiDAR 10, a safety zone division module 20, a signal output module 30, a robot control module 40, an alarm prompting module 50, a safety recovery module 60, and a robot body 70. The LiDAR 10 is used to scan the robot's working area in real time to obtain the position and distance information of targets around the robot. The safety zone division module 20 is used to divide the detection space around the robot into multiple safety level zones according to the detection data of the LiDAR 10. The signal output module 30 is used to output corresponding digital output signals when a target is detected entering a different safety level zone. The robot control module 40 is used to receive the digital output signals and execute corresponding hierarchical safety control strategies according to the area where the target is located. The alarm prompting module 50 is used to execute at least one of voice prompts, audible and visual alarms, or interface alarms when a target enters a different safety level zone. The safety recovery module 60 is used to perform safety confirmation and controlled recovery of the recovery operation after the danger is cleared after the robot enters the alarm stop state.

[0039] In this specific embodiment, the lidar 10 is mounted on the robotic arm of the robot body 70, or on the four sides of the workbench, for continuous monitoring of the robot's working area. The safety zone division module 20 divides the detection space around the robot into an attention zone 201, a warning zone 202, and an alarm zone 203. The detection range of the attention zone 201 is 3-5 meters away from the robot or lidar 10, the detection range of the warning zone 202 is 1-3 meters away from the robot or lidar 10, and the detection range of the alarm zone 203 is within 1 meter of the robot or lidar 10.

[0040] The digital output signal output by the signal output module 30 includes at least a first digital output signal D. O1 Second digital output signal D O2 and the third digital output signal D O3 The first digital output signal D O1 The corresponding attention area is 201, and the second digital output signal is D. O2 Corresponding to warning zone 202, the third digital output signal D O3 Corresponding alarm zone 203. The robot control module 40 is equipped with multiple digital input ports. Each digital output signal is connected to the corresponding digital input port of the robot control module 40 through hardware wiring to form a one-to-one linkage relationship between different safety level zones and robot control inputs.

[0041] In this specific embodiment, the working process of the collision avoidance system is as follows:

[0042] When the target enters the attention zone 201, the lidar 10 outputs the first digital output signal D. O1 The robot control module 40 receives the first digital output signal D. O1 Then, the control alarm prompt module 50 issues a voice prompt or sound and light prompt to remind on-site personnel to pay attention to safety. At this time, the robot body 70 remains in normal operation.

[0043] When the target approaches and enters the warning zone 202, the lidar 10 outputs the second digital output signal D. O2 The robot control module 40 received the second digital output signal D. O2 Subsequently, while the alarm notification module 50 continues to issue warning messages, the operating speed of the robot body 70 is reduced to 15% of the rated speed to reduce the risk of collision. When the target moves away from the warning zone 202 and returns to the attention zone 201, the robot control module 40 automatically controls the robot to resume its original operating speed and continue performing the operation based on the warning signal cancellation status.

[0044] When the target enters the alarm zone 203, the lidar 10 outputs the third digital output signal D. O3 The robot control module 40 receives the third digital output signal D. O3 Immediately afterwards, the robot body 70 is controlled to perform an emergency stop and power down. At the same time, the alarm prompt module 50 is triggered to issue an audible and visual alarm and display alarm information on the operation interface to prevent the robot from continuing to move and causing a collision.

[0045] In alarm state, the safety recovery module 60 keeps the system locked, and even if the target leaves the alarm zone 203, the robot body 70 will not automatically resume operation. The operator must confirm that the site is safe, clear the alarm state through the human-machine interface, and manually perform the robot power-on and restart operations. After the robot restarts, the safety recovery module 60 continues to monitor the attention zone 201, the warning zone 202, and the alarm zone 203 for a preset monitoring time. If the target is detected entering the warning zone 202 or the alarm zone 203 again within the preset monitoring time, the corresponding deceleration control strategy or shutdown control strategy will be retried.

[0046] The present invention also provides a robot collision avoidance method based on lidar, comprising the following steps:

[0047] S1. The robot's working area is scanned in real time by the LiDAR 10 to obtain the position and distance information of the targets around the robot. Based on the distance between the target and the robot or the LiDAR 10, the detection space is divided into the attention area 201, the warning area 202 and the alarm area 203, and the corresponding area status signal is output at the same time.

[0048] S2. Send the status signals of different areas to the digital input port of the robot control module 40 through the digital output port;

[0049] S3. When the target enters the attention zone 201, a safety warning is triggered, and the robot continues to operate normally.

[0050] S4. When the target enters the warning zone 202, a safety warning is triggered and the robot is controlled to slow down.

[0051] S5. When the target moves away from the warning zone 202 and returns to the attention zone 201, control the robot to resume the original running speed;

[0052] S6. When the target enters the alarm zone 203, control the robot to stop immediately and power off, and output alarm information at the same time;

[0053] S7. After the alarm is triggered, the system remains locked until the operator confirms the safety on site, then the lock is released and the robot operation is manually resumed.

[0054] S8. After the robot resumes operation, it will continue to monitor the safe area for a preset period of time. If an abnormal approach to the target is detected again, the corresponding safety control will be re-executed.

[0055] The above description is only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention and is not intended to limit it. Any other modifications or equivalent substitutions made by those skilled in the art to the technical solution of the present invention, as long as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A robot collision avoidance system based on lidar, characterized in that: It includes a lidar (10), a safety zone division module (20), a signal output module (30), a robot control module (40), an alarm prompt module (50), a safety recovery module (60), and a robot body (70). The lidar (10) is used to scan the robot's working area in real time to obtain the location and distance information of targets around the robot. The safety zone division module (20) is used to divide the detection space around the robot into multiple safety level zones based on the detection data of the lidar. The multiple safety level zones include at least a attention zone, a warning zone, and an alarm zone. The signal output module (30) is used to detect targets entering the robot's working area. When entering a different safety level area, the robot outputs a digital output signal that matches the corresponding safety level area; the robot control module (40) is used to receive the digital output signal and execute the corresponding graded safety control strategy according to the safety level area where the target is located; the alarm prompt module (50) is used to execute at least one of voice prompt, sound and light alarm or interface alarm when the target enters a different safety level area; the safety recovery module (60) is used to perform safety confirmation and controlled recovery of the recovery operation after the danger is cleared after the robot enters the alarm stop state; the laser radar (10) is installed on the robotic arm of the robot body (70) or on the four sides of the workbench.

2. The robot collision avoidance system based on lidar according to claim 1, characterized in that: The safety zone division module (20) divides the detection space around the robot into a attention zone (201), a warning zone (202), and an alarm zone (203). The detection range of the attention zone (201) is 3-5 meters away from the robot or the lidar. The detection range of the warning zone (202) is 1-3 meters away from the robot or the lidar. The detection range of the alarm zone (203) is within 1 meter of the robot or the lidar.

3. The robot collision avoidance system based on lidar according to claim 1, characterized in that: The digital output signal output by the signal output module (30) includes at least the first digital output signal D. O1 Second digital output signal D O2 and the third digital output signal D O3 Wherein, the first digital output signal D O1 Corresponding to the attention area (201), the second digital output signal D O2 Corresponding to the warning zone (202), the third digital output signal D O3 Corresponding to the alarm zone (203); the robot control module (40) is provided with multiple digital input ports, and each digital output signal is connected to the corresponding digital input port of the robot control module (40) through hardware wiring, so as to form a one-to-one linkage relationship between different safety level areas and robot control input.

4. The robot collision avoidance system based on lidar according to claim 1, characterized in that: The safety recovery module (60) is used to maintain system lock after the robot enters the alarm state, so that the robot does not automatically resume operation after the target leaves the alarm zone; after confirming that the site is safe, the operator can cancel the alarm state through the human-machine interface and manually perform the robot power-on and restart operation; the safety recovery module (60) is also used to continue to monitor the attention zone (201), warning zone (202) and alarm zone (203) within the preset monitoring time after the robot restarts; if the target is detected to enter the warning zone or alarm zone again within the preset monitoring time, the corresponding hierarchical safety control strategy is re-triggered.

5. A robot collision avoidance method based on lidar, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: S1. The robot's working area is scanned in real time by LiDAR to obtain the position and distance information of targets around the robot; based on the distance between the target and the robot or LiDAR, the detection space is divided into attention zone, warning zone and alarm zone, and the corresponding area status signal is output. S2. Send the status signals of different areas to the digital input port of the robot control module (40) through the digital output port; S3. When the target enters the attention zone (201), a safety warning is triggered, and the robot continues to operate normally; S4. When the target enters the warning zone (202), a safety warning is triggered and the robot is controlled to slow down. S5. When the target moves away from the warning zone (202) and returns to the attention zone, control the robot to resume the original running speed; S6. When the target enters the alarm zone (203), control the robot to stop urgently and power down, and output alarm information at the same time; S7. After the alarm is triggered, the system remains locked until the operator confirms the safety on site, then the lock is released and the robot operation is manually resumed. S8. After the robot resumes startup, it will continue to monitor the safe area for a preset period of time. If an abnormal approach to the target is detected again, the corresponding safety control will be re-executed.

6. The robot collision avoidance method based on lidar according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step S3, when the target enters the attention zone (201), the lidar (10) outputs the first digital output signal D. O1 The robot control module (40) receives the first digital output signal D. O1 Then, a voice prompt or sound and light prompt will be triggered.

7. A robot collision avoidance method based on lidar according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step S4, when the target enters the warning zone (202), the lidar (10) outputs the second digital output signal D. O2 The robot control module (40) receives the second digital output signal D. O2 Then, while issuing a prompt message, the robot's operating speed is reduced to 15% of its rated speed.

8. A robot collision avoidance method based on lidar according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step S5, when the target enters the alarm zone (203), the lidar (10) outputs the third digital output signal D. O3 The robot control module (40) receives the third digital output signal D. O3 Then, the robot immediately stops and powers off, triggering an audible and visual alarm and displaying alarm information on the operation interface. In the alarm state, even if the target leaves the alarm area (203), the system remains locked and the robot does not automatically resume operation. The robot can only be powered on and started again after the operator completes the safety confirmation and clears the alarm state.

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