Multi-Arm Robot Status Indication for Teaching Mode Awareness
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Solution Overview
Problem
In multi-arm robot systems, supervisors often struggle to notice when an unintended robot arm is shifted to a teaching mode, leading to potential collisions due to lack of direct visual indication of operability states, as existing solutions only provide indicators on individual arms and not across the system.
Innovation Solution
A robot apparatus with indication devices on each arm that visually indicate the operability state of all arms, including a first indicator for the arm itself and a second indicator for other arms, allowing supervisors to easily recognize the status of all arms without shifting their gaze, using LED indicators and networked control systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If indicators are provided only on individual robot arms, then each arm's state is locally indicated, but supervisors cannot easily recognize the status of all arms without shifting their gaze
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the indication functions for multiple robot arms into a single centralized indicator unit. This unified indicator displays the operability states of all arms simultaneously, allowing supervisors to monitor the entire system from one location without needing to shift gaze between multiple separate indicators on different arms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a centralized indicator as an intermediary device that receives state information from multiple robot arms and presents it in a unified visual format. This intermediary consolidates information from multiple sources (individual arms) into a single display point, making it easier for supervisors to comprehend the overall system state.
2Reliability
If supervisors concentrate their gaze on one arm during teaching operations, then they can monitor that arm's details, but they may not notice when another arm is shifted to teaching mode
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized indicator merges the operability state information of all robot arms into a single visual display. This allows supervisors to maintain their focus on one arm while the unified indicator simultaneously presents the states of all other arms, preventing missed notifications about mode changes on unmonitored arms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the centralized indicator continuously provides visual feedback about the operability states of all robot arms. This constant feedback loop ensures that supervisors are immediately notified when any arm transitions to teaching mode, enhancing safety by preventing unexpected movements of unmonitored arms.
3Loss of information
If multiple indicators are provided on each arm to show all arms' states, then complete information is available, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple indication functions into a single centralized indicator device. Instead of placing multiple indicators on each arm or having separate indicators for each arm, one unified device consolidates all arm state information, reducing the total number of indication devices while maintaining complete information availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized indicator is designed as a universal device that can display the operability states of multiple different robot arms simultaneously. This multi-functional indicator replaces what would otherwise require multiple single-function indicators, reducing system complexity while providing comprehensive monitoring capability.
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
Enhances safety by allowing supervisors to immediately recognize changes in operability states across multiple arms, preventing collisions and enabling efficient operation by providing clear, simultaneous visual feedback of all arms' states.
Implementation Method 1
using LED indicators and networked control systems
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of robot arms are each provided with indication devices that have indicators which indicate operability states of at least one other robot arm different from the robot arm on which the indication device is provided. Alternatively or in addition, the indication devices have indicators which indicate operability states of a respective robot arm upon which the indication devices are provided. Robot control devices which control operations of the robot arms communicate through a local area network (LAN) to share information regarding the states of the robot arms. Indication drive signals for the indication devices are generated based on states of servo control signals and/or brake control signals for the robot arms.