Exoskeleton Sensor Fusion for Unsafe Joint Motion Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-performance exoskeletons pose safety risks to operators and bystanders due to potential malfunctions, which can lead to unsafe operation scenarios, emphasizing the need for a system to prevent unsafe operation.
Innovation Solution
An exoskeleton equipped with a plurality of sensors and a controller that combines sensor data from multiple joint mechanisms to detect anomalous operating states, executing remedial measures to prevent unsafe movements by determining if the sensor data satisfies defined criteria, indicating a malfunction or unsafe kinematic movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high-performance exoskeletons are designed to significantly amplify human capabilities, then productivity and operational capability are improved, but safety risks to the operator and others increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary safety checks by combining sensor data from multiple joints before executing commands. The controller proactively identifies potential unsafe states by analyzing kinematic relationships between joints in advance, preventing harmful actions before they occur rather than reacting after a failure happens.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors sensor data from multiple joints and provides feedback to the controller to detect anomalous operating states. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables real-time safety verification by comparing actual sensor combinations against expected kinematic relationships, allowing the system to adapt and prevent unsafe operations dynamically.
2Reliability
If multiple sensors are used to monitor joint mechanisms for safety, then safety detection capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses existing sensor data from multiple joints for both operational control and safety monitoring purposes. The same sensors that provide information for normal exoskeleton operation are also utilized for safety verification by combining their outputs to detect anomalous states, eliminating the need for separate dedicated safety sensors and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller merges sensor data from multiple joint mechanisms into a unified safety assessment process. By combining sensor outputs and analyzing their relationships together, the system achieves comprehensive safety monitoring through an integrated approach rather than through separate independent monitoring systems for each joint.
Data Source
AI summary
An exoskeleton operable to prevent unsafe operation can comprise a plurality of joint mechanisms and a plurality of sensors comprising configured to generate sensor output data associated with at least two joint mechanisms. The exoskeleton can comprise a controller configured to receive the sensor output data; combine the sensor output data; and determine whether the combination of the sensor output data from the first and second sensors satisfies an error condition in relation to at least one defined criterion. The existence of an error condition can be indicative of an anomalous operating state of the exoskeleton, such as a malfunction or an (impending) anomalous kinematic movement. The controller can also combine command signals to be transmitted to two or more joint mechanisms to determine another anomalous operating state to prevent unsafe operation. Associated software and methods are provided.