3D Workspace Monitoring for Human-Robot Separation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current safety monitoring systems for shared workspaces between humans and robots are inadequate as they fail to dynamically account for objects carried by both humans and robots, leading to potential collisions and inefficiencies in dynamic environments.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses sensors to create a three-dimensional occupancy map, clusters, and labels objects within the workspace to determine safe separation distances, allowing for real-time adjustments to prevent collisions and optimize robot movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a light curtain is used to define a safety zone, then the system is low cost and easy to configure, but the safety zone is static and two-dimensional, making it difficult to adapt to dynamic workplaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a static light curtain safety zone to a dynamic safety zone that continuously adapts based on real-time detection of human and robot positions, movement velocities, and carried objects using three-dimensional optoelectronic sensors and iterative closest point algorithms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent expands from two-dimensional light curtain detection to three-dimensional space monitoring using time-of-flight cameras and stereo cameras, enabling accurate capture of relative distances and positions in 3D space
2Measurement precision
If three-dimensional optoelectronic sensors are used to monitor workspace, then the system can accurately capture relative distance and adapt to dynamic movement, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses multi-functional three-dimensional optoelectronic sensors (time-of-flight cameras, stereo cameras) that simultaneously perform multiple tasks: detecting human presence, tracking robot position, identifying carried objects, and calculating safety zones, thereby reducing the need for multiple separate systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of the physical workspace through three-dimensional modeling and iterative closest point algorithms, generating virtual safety zones that mirror the actual spatial relationships without requiring physical barriers
3Adaptability or versatility
If the safety zone is constantly adapted based on real-time position and movement velocity, then the system can handle dynamic movement, but the system fails to account for objects carried by human and robot
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the detection process into distinct components: detecting the human, detecting the robot, detecting carried objects, and calculating safety zones. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary detection and classification of objects before final safety zone calculation, using three-dimensional data to identify and characterize carried objects in advance, ensuring they are accounted for in the safety assessment
Data Source
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AI summary
The disclosure relates to systems and methods for ensuring human safety in a workspace shared with a robot or other dangerous machinery. The system includes one or more sensors arranged to monitor the workspace. Data from each of the sensors is acquired and analyzed to determine the positioning and spatial relationship between the human and machine, along with any respective objects that either or both may be carrying as they each move throughout the workspace. The captured data is analyzed to mitigate potential collisions between the human and the machine in the workspace, including potential collisions that may be caused by the respective objects carried by the human or machine.