Rail Yard Robot Human Detection and Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
In rail yards, there are challenges in ensuring safety for human workers due to the presence of robots performing maintenance and inspection tasks, as robots and humans can inadvertently come into contact, leading to potential incidents in confined spaces where robots operate.
Innovation Solution
A rail yard robot equipped with a navigation system, manipulation unit, visual recognition unit, and processing unit that detects human presence and adjusts its movement or task execution to avoid humans within predetermined ranges, using visual recognition software and sensors like cameras or LIDAR to control its navigation and manipulation actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If robots are deployed to perform maintenance and inspection tasks in rail yards, then productivity and task completion efficiency are improved, but the risk of accidental contact between robots and human workers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of human workers in the robot's path before the robot executes its navigation. The visual recognition unit continuously scans the environment ahead of the robot, and the processing unit predicts potential collision risks in advance, allowing the robot to adjust its path or speed before entering a hazardous zone, thus preventing accidental contact while maintaining productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback through the visual recognition unit that monitors human workers' positions and movements in real-time. The processing unit receives this feedback, updates the risk assessment dynamically, and adjusts the robot's navigation accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables the robot to respond to changing conditions and maintain safe operation alongside human workers
2Adaptability or versatility
If humans are present in the rail yard to oversee robots or perform tasks, then operational flexibility and oversight capability are improved, but the potential for dangerous incidents between robots and humans increases
Solution Approach 1:
The visual recognition unit and processing unit act as intermediaries between the robot and human workers. The system processes visual information about workers and translates it into safe navigation decisions, creating a protective layer that enables human oversight and flexibility while filtering out the direct hazard of accidental contact through intelligent intervention
3Reliability
If the robot uses visual recognition software and sensors to detect human presence, then safety awareness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The visual recognition unit is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting human workers, tracking their movements, determining their positions relative to the robot's path, and providing this information to the navigation system. By making the visual recognition system multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated sensors for each function, thereby improving safety awareness while limiting the increase in overall system complexity
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 solution enhances safety by reducing the risk of accidents between robots and humans, allowing robots to operate effectively while maintaining a safe distance and adjusting their actions to avoid contact, thereby improving workplace safety in rail yards.
Implementation Method 1
using visual recognition software and sensors like cameras or LIDAR to control its navigation and manipulation actions
Data Source
AI summary
A robot in one embodiment includes a navigation system, a manipulation unit, a visual recognition unit, and a processing unit. The visual recognition unit includes at least one detector configured to acquire presence information of humans within at least a portion of the area. The processing unit is operably coupled to the navigation system, manipulation unit, and visual recognition unit, and is configured to determine a presence of a human within at least one predetermined range of the robot using the presence information from the visual recognition unit, determine at least one control action responsive to determining the presence of the human within the at least one predetermined range, and control at least one of the navigation system or manipulation unit to implement the at least one control action.