Robot Arm Presence Sensor Positioning for Continuous Safety Monitoring
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety solutions for operating devices in working areas are either inflexible due to the need for repositioning and reprogramming of presence sensors or overly complex and costly, particularly in high-production volume industrial settings, and fail to provide effective monitoring for operator safety.
Innovation Solution
An operating device equipped with a robot arm that integrates a positioning system for presence sensors, allowing them to maintain a constant orientation during movement, creating symmetrical monitoring volumes on either side of the robot arm to ensure continuous and effective safety monitoring without the need for frequent reconfiguration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple presence sensors are positioned around the device to create monitoring areas, then operator safety monitoring is improved, but device complexity and reconfiguration requirements increase when tasks change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple presence sensors into a single integrated sensor unit that is mounted on the robot arm itself. This single sensor unit performs the monitoring function that would otherwise require multiple separate sensors positioned around the device, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining safety monitoring effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor is mounted on the robot arm in a movable position rather than being fixed in stationary locations. This dynamic mounting allows the sensor to move with the robot arm and automatically adjust its monitoring position, eliminating the need for manual reconfiguration when tasks change, while continuously providing safety monitoring.
2Reliability
If collaborative robots with multiple sensor systems are used for continuous human-machine interaction, then safety and interaction capability are improved, but system complexity and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential safety monitoring function from complex collaborative robot systems. Instead of implementing multiple sensor systems for full collaborative interaction, the invention uses a single presence sensor mounted on the robot arm to provide the critical safety function, thereby achieving safety without the excessive complexity and cost of full collaborative robot systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by implementing only the necessary safety monitoring capability rather than full collaborative interaction capabilities. The single presence sensor provides sufficient safety monitoring for the application without requiring the excessive sensors and complex systems that would be needed for complete human-machine collaboration.
3Reliability
If presence sensors are fixed in stationary positions around the device, then monitoring coverage is improved for static tasks, but versatility decreases when tasks require repositioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the sensor positioning dynamic by mounting it on the robot arm itself. As the robot arm moves to different positions for various tasks, the sensor automatically repositions with it, maintaining effective monitoring coverage without requiring manual intervention or reconfiguration. This dynamic approach provides both reliable monitoring and high versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The single movable sensor unit serves multiple monitoring functions for different tasks and positions. Instead of requiring separate fixed sensors for each potential task position, the universal sensor mounted on the robot arm can monitor all positions and orientations the robot arm may assume, providing adaptability across diverse tasks.
Data Source
AI summary
An operating device configured to operate in a work space, the operating device including: a robot arm, which includes a succession of arm elements mounted on one another in a rotatable way about respective axes of rotation and which carries an operating unit on its end; and at least one presence sensor prearranged for detecting the presence of an operator. The device includes a positioning system, including a support by which the at least one presence sensor is carried and which is mounted on an arm element of the robot arm, according to a pre-set orientation and in such a way as to be orientable with respect to the arm element, and wherein the positioning system further includes a positioning unit prearranged for rotating the support with respect to the arm element, as a result of a movement of the robot arm, so as to keep the pre-set orientation of the support unchanged.