Robot Protection Area Setting Using Stored Environment Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Adjusting the protection area around a robot in response to changes in its surrounding environment, such as relocation, is time-consuming and complex, especially when objects like walls are present, prolonging production line changes.
Innovation Solution
An area setting device that includes a setting unit to detect objects, an obtainer to gather surrounding information, and a storage that associates set values with this information, allowing the protection area to be quickly adjusted based on pre-stored values, thereby reducing the time needed for production line changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the protection area is adjusted manually in accordance with the surrounding environment for every robot relocation, then the protection area can be accurately adapted to the new environment, but the time taken to adjust the protection area increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing multiple protection area setting values corresponding to different surrounding environments in a storage device. When the robot is relocated, the system automatically retrieves the appropriate pre-stored setting value based on the detected surrounding environment, eliminating the need for manual adjustment and significantly reducing setup time while maintaining protection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by storing replicated protection area setting values for different environments in the storage device. Instead of creating new settings each time, the system copies and retrieves appropriate pre-defined setting values based on the current surrounding environment, enabling rapid deployment across multiple locations.
2Measurement precision
If the protection area is adjusted to account for surrounding objects like walls, then the safety monitoring accuracy is improved, but the complexity of the adjustment process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the system to automatically detect surrounding objects using sensors and autonomously select the appropriate protection area setting value from storage based on the detected environment. This eliminates the need for manual adjustment processes, reducing operational complexity while maintaining high detection accuracy through environment-aware automatic configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback by employing sensors to detect the surrounding environment and feed this information back to the setting unit, which then automatically selects and applies the appropriate protection area setting value. This closed-loop system ensures accurate adaptation to surrounding objects like walls without requiring manual intervention.
3Reliability
If manual adjustment of the protection area is performed for each production line change, then the protection area can be optimized for each specific environment, but the overall productivity of production line changes decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring and storing optimized protection area setting values for various production line environments before actual relocation occurs. When production line changes are needed, the system rapidly retrieves and applies the appropriate pre-optimized settings, maintaining protection reliability while dramatically increasing production line change speed and overall productivity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A technique shortens the time taken to adjust a protection area. An area setting device includes a setting unit that sets a protection area in at least a part of a surrounding environment of a robot to detect an entry of an object, an obtainer that obtains surrounding information about the robot, and a storage prestoring a set value for the protection area and the surrounding information associated with each other. The setting unit sets the protection area based on the set value read from the storage.