Robot Motion Path Search Using Merged Swept Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing method for determining motion paths for robots during direct teaching often results in suboptimal paths due to an underestimation of accessible space, leading to increased cycle times and operational costs, particularly when obstacles with complex shapes are involved.
Innovation Solution
A motion path search device that identifies both the robot's and the operator's swept spaces during direct teaching, combining these to calculate a more comprehensive accessible space, allowing for a more optimal motion path search.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the robot automatically obtains accessible space using only its swept space during direct teaching, then the teaching process is simplified, but the volume of accessible space is underestimated leading to suboptimal motion paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the robot's swept space with the operator's swept space to create a comprehensive accessible space. This combination allows the system to maintain automated teaching simplicity while capturing a larger, more accurate representation of the actual accessible workspace, thereby resolving the contradiction between teaching simplicity and path optimality.
Solution Approach 2:
The operator's body acts as an intermediary that extends the robot's perceived accessible space. By tracking the operator's movements during direct teaching, the system uses the operator as a mediator to discover and map areas of the workspace that the robot itself cannot reach or access, thus improving motion path optimality without complicating the teaching process.
2Productivity
If the operator optimizes via points through trial-and-error coordination, then motion path optimality improves, but time cost and property damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically calculating the comprehensive accessible space and determining optimized motion paths before actual robot operation begins. This eliminates the need for time-consuming trial-and-error coordination during production, as the optimal paths are pre-computed based on the merged swept spaces from direct teaching.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the robot to automatically obtain and utilize the comprehensive accessible space information without requiring continuous operator intervention for path optimization. The automated path planning system serves itself by using the pre-calculated accessible space to generate optimal motion paths independently.
3Device complexity
If the accessible space is calculated using only robot swept space, then the calculation process is simple, but the search space for motion paths is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the robot's swept space with the operator's swept space to create a comprehensive accessible space. This merging approach maintains relatively simple calculation processes while significantly expanding the search space coverage, allowing the system to find optimal motion paths in areas that would otherwise be inaccessible or unknown to the robot.
Data Source
AI summary
A motion path search device which searches for a motion path of a movable part of a robot capable of being taught a motion by direct teaching in which the robot is directly moved by an operator includes: a first space identification unit which identifies a space swept through by the movable part of the robot in the direct teaching; a second space identification unit which identifies a space swept through by at least a portion of a body of the operator in the direct teaching; a space combining unit which calculates, as an accessible space, a union of the space identified by the first space identification unit and the space identified by the second space identification unit; and a path search unit which searches for a motion path of the movable part within the accessible space calculated by the space combining unit.