Robot Motion Planning With 3D Clearance Margin Visualization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current motion planning systems for robots face challenges in determining and visualizing clearance margins effectively, particularly in dynamic environments, leading to potential collisions and inefficiencies in path planning due to reliance on simulation models that may not accurately represent real-world conditions.
Innovation Solution
The system computes and visually represents clearance margins between robot components and environmental objects using numeric values, colors, or heat maps within a 3D space or roadmap representation, allowing for intuitive adjustments to motion plans based on real-time clearance data, and autonomously or user-interactively modifying roadmaps to ensure safe robot movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If motion planning is performed using simulation models, then path planning can be executed, but the clearances may not accurately represent real-world conditions leading to potential collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts clearance parameters by comparing simulated clearance data with actual sensor measurements from the environment. When discrepancies are detected between simulated and real-world clearances, the system modifies the clearance parameters to reflect actual conditions, ensuring accurate collision avoidance while maintaining the benefits of simulation-based planning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where actual sensor data from the operational environment is continuously compared against simulated clearance predictions. This feedback mechanism allows the system to detect deviations between simulation and reality, then adjust motion plans accordingly to maintain safe clearances in the real world.
2Reliability
If engineers dilate the size of the robot to ensure sufficient clearances, then collision confidence increases, but the robot may not be able to complete desired range of motion
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a static dilated robot model, the system dynamically adjusts the effective clearance buffer based on real-time environmental data and actual robot pose. The clearance protection zone expands and contracts dynamically according to actual risks, allowing maximum range of motion while maintaining collision avoidance confidence where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies clearance dilation selectively to specific regions of the robot based on local risk assessment. Rather than uniformly dilating the entire robot, it applies larger clearance buffers only to portions of the robot that are at risk of collision, allowing other portions to maintain their full range of motion capabilities.
3Loss of information
If visual assessment of clearances is performed, then engineers can evaluate clearance margins, but accuracy is particularly difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual visual assessment with automated computational clearance calculation and visualization. The system computes precise clearance margins using robot pose data and environmental models, then presents this information through visual interfaces. This substitution eliminates the imprecision of human visual estimation while maintaining information availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary computational layer that processes raw robot pose and environmental data to generate accurate clearance measurements. This intermediary then presents the processed clearance information through visual displays, acting as a mediator between the complex sensor data and the engineer's understanding, ensuring both information availability and measurement precision.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods and user interfaces employ clearance or margin determinations in motion planning and motion control for robots in operational environments, the clearance or margin determinations representing an amount of clearance or margin between at least one portion of a robot and one or more objects in the operational environment. Clearances may be displayed in a presentation of motion, for instance displayed in a presentation of a roadmap or a number of paths in a representation of a three-dimensional environment in which the robot operates. Roadmaps may be adjusted based at least in part of determined clearances, for instance based on user input or autonomously.