Robot Control Mode Switching for Safe Human Collaboration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robot control devices are limited in their ability to manage scenarios where a worker and a robot perform independent tasks and sometimes collaborate, failing to seamlessly switch between operating modes based on worker presence and task requirements.
Innovation Solution
A control device with independent and collaborative modes that switches operation based on predetermined conditions related to the worker's position, posture, motion, line-of-sight, sound, and workpiece supply, allowing the robot to work separately or in collaboration with the worker.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the robot operates in a fixed collaborative mode to ensure worker safety, then collision prevention is improved, but productivity and operational flexibility deteriorate due to constant speed reduction or stopping
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between independent mode and collaborative mode based on real-time worker presence detection. When no worker is detected, the robot operates at full speed in independent mode. When a worker is detected, it transitions to collaborative mode with reduced speed for safety. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by adjusting safety levels according to actual conditions rather than maintaining a fixed conservative mode.
2Productivity
If the robot operates in independent mode to maximize productivity, then operational speed is improved, but safety and collaboration capability deteriorate when worker presence is not properly monitored
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors worker presence through cameras or sensors and uses this feedback to automatically switch between operational modes. The real-time detection creates a closed-loop control system where safety conditions are continuously assessed and responded to, allowing high-speed independent operation when safe and automatic transition to collaborative mode when workers are present.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system requires complex worker detection and mode switching mechanisms to handle both independent and collaborative tasks, then operational flexibility is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control device is designed with multi-functionality to handle both independent and collaborative operations within a single unified system. The same control device performs worker detection, mode determination, and robot control functions, eliminating the need for separate specialized systems for each operational mode and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A control device for controlling a robot that performs a task has an independent mode that causes the robot to work separately and a collaborative mode that causes the robot to work in collaboration with a worker. The control device causes the robot to operate in the independent mode or the collaborative mode. The control device is configured to determine whether a first predetermined condition is satisfied, based on a position of the worker, and to switch from the independent mode to the collaborative mode when the first predetermined condition is satisfied during the independent mode. The control device is configured to determine whether a second predetermined condition is satisfied, based on the position of the worker, and to switch from the collaborative mode to the independent mode when the second predetermined condition is satisfied during the collaborative mode.