Collaborative Mobile Robot Speed Control for Human Proximity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing human-collaborative robot systems face challenges in ensuring safety during human contact while maintaining production efficiency, as they often require lowering operating speeds to prevent collisions, which can lead to reduced productivity due to unnecessary speed limitations.
Innovation Solution
A robot system that includes a movable human-collaborative robot, a control unit, and sensors to detect human approach and contact, allowing the system to operate at maximum speeds when no contact is detected and reducing speeds or stopping operations when contact is imminent, thereby ensuring safety without unnecessary speed reductions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the robot system operates at maximum speeds to maintain production efficiency, then productivity is improved, but safety is compromised when human contact occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of human approach using the approach sensor before contact occurs. When a human is detected approaching the robot, the control unit proactively reduces the operating speed to collaborative speeds before contact happens, ensuring safety while maintaining efficiency during normal operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the environment using approach sensors and human detection sensors, receiving feedback about human proximity. Based on this feedback, the control unit dynamically adjusts the robot's operating speed - maintaining maximum speed when safe and reducing to collaborative speed when humans are detected, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and safety
2Reliability
If the robot reduces operating speeds to prevent collisions, then safety is improved, but productivity decreases due to unnecessary speed limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the robot's operating speed based on real-time detection of human proximity. The control unit switches between maximum operating speed and collaborative operating speed according to the detected human approach, rather than maintaining a fixed reduced speed. This dynamic adjustment ensures safety when needed while preserving productivity during normal operation
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit changes the operating speed parameter of the robot based on sensor input. When the approach sensor detects human approach, the speed parameter is changed from maximum to collaborative speed. When no human is detected, the parameter returns to maximum speed, thus maintaining safety without unnecessary productivity loss
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances safety during human contact while allowing the robot system to maintain high production efficiency by only reducing speeds or stopping operations when necessary, thus preventing excessive productivity losses.
Implementation Method 1
an approach sensor that detects approach of a human to the movable human-collaborative robot due to the human entering a first region
Implementation Method 2
a human detection sensor that detects approach or contact of a human to or with the human-collaborative robot due to the human entering a second region
Implementation Method 3
the human detection sensor may be a force sensor or a torque sensor that detects contact with a human
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a robot system including: a movable human-collaborative robot including a human-collaborative robot, and a moving device that moves the human-collaborative robot mounted thereon; a control unit that controls the movable human-collaborative robot; and an approach sensor that detects approach of a human to the movable human-collaborative robot. The human-collaborative robot includes a human detection sensor that detects approach or contact of a human to or with the movable human-collaborative robot. When the approach sensor has detected the approach of a human, the control unit restricts the operation of at least the moving device and, when the human detection sensor has detected the approach of or contact with a human, the control unit performs control so as to stop the movable human-collaborative robot or so as to avoid the approach of or contact with the human.