Robot Interference Determination Using Joint Configuration Regions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for determining self-interference in articulated robots are time-consuming due to the large number of combinations of links that need to be evaluated, leading to increased takt time and reduced operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An interference determination apparatus that calculates and simplifies self-interference and non-self-interference regions in a configuration space using specific joints, allowing for efficient determination of robot postures that avoid interference, thereby reducing the time required for path planning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If exhaustive determination is performed for each combination of links to ensure accurate self-interference detection, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The configuration space is segmented into multiple regions based on joint angle ranges. By dividing the exhaustive search space into smaller regional spaces, the patent enables parallel processing of interference determination for each region, maintaining detection accuracy while reducing overall determination time through distributed computation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary determination of interference regions by calculating which regions in the configuration space are likely to contain self-interference based on robot geometry and link configurations. This preliminary action identifies candidate regions that require detailed examination, avoiding exhaustive checking of all possible configurations and thus reducing determination time while maintaining precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of links in the articulated robot is increased to enhance functionality, then adaptability is improved, but loss of time increases due to the larger number of link combinations requiring determination
Solution Approach 1:
For robots with many links, the patent segments the configuration space into regional spaces based on subsets of joint angles. This segmentation reduces the combinatorial explosion of link combinations by processing each region independently and in parallel, enabling the system to handle complex multi-link robots without proportional increases in determination time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the high-dimensional configuration space problem into multiple lower-dimensional regional spaces. By projecting the complex multi-link configuration onto smaller regional configuration spaces, the patent reduces computational complexity from exponential to polynomial growth with respect to the number of links, maintaining adaptability while controlling path planning time.
3Measurement precision
If detailed shapes of all links are considered in self-interference determination, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments both the configuration space and the link geometry considerations. Instead of processing all link shapes simultaneously, it divides the determination into regional analyses where only relevant link combinations in each region are evaluated in detail. This segmentation maintains precision for critical regions while reducing overall system complexity through localized detailed analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial detailed analysis only where necessary. Rather than considering detailed shapes of all links throughout the entire configuration space, it performs exhaustive detailed determination only in identified interference regions, while using simplified models in non-critical regions. This partial action approach maintains measurement precision where needed while reducing device complexity overall.
Data Source
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AI summary
The time required for determination regarding interference of an articulated robot can be shortened. An interference determination apparatus 10 includes an acquisition unit 102 that acquires region information indicating regions that are set in a configuration space in which the angles of rotation of two or three specific joints of the articulated robot are indicated by coordinate axes, the regions including an interference region in which the articulated robot interferes with itself or an obstacle, and is determined based on the magnitudes of the angles of rotation of the specific joints and a non-interference region in which the articulated robot does not interfere with itself or an obstacle, and that is determined based on the magnitudes of the angles of rotation of specific joints, and a determination unit 103 that determines whether or not the articulated robot interferes with itself or an obstacle, by determining whether coordinates indicating a posture that is determined by the angles of rotation of the specific joints belong to the interference region or the non-interference region that are indicated by the region information acquired by the acquisition unit 102.