Collaborative Robot State Determination Using Range and Speed
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot control systems struggle to accurately determine whether a collaborative robot is in a collaborative state or a non-collaborative state due to imprecise detection range settings, leading to uncertainty in human-robot interaction.
Innovation Solution
A robot controller and system that includes an acquisitor, range determinator, speed determinator, and collaborative state determinator to accurately assess the detection range and operating speed of a collaborative robot, determining its state as collaborative or non-collaborative based on precise range and speed relationships.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the detection range is set wider than the collaborative range to allow time for speed reduction, then the robot can respond to human presence, but the controller cannot accurately determine whether the operating state is collaborative or non-collaborative
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the detection range assessment into multiple components: acquiring the detection range from the detection device, determining whether it includes the collaborative range, determining the operating speed, and separately determining the collaborative state. This segmentation allows each component to be evaluated independently, resolving the contradiction between response reliability and state determination accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using the determination results of both the range determinator and speed determinator as inputs to the collaborative state determinator. This feedback mechanism ensures that the collaborative state is determined based on comprehensive information, improving measurement precision while maintaining response reliability.
2Loss of time
If the detection range includes the entire collaborative range, then the robot can detect human presence in advance, but the controller lacks information to accurately validate the detection result
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by acquiring the detection range from the detection device before validating the detection result. This allows the controller to have the detection range information ready in advance, enabling accurate validation when a detection event occurs, thus reducing both time loss and information loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism by using the range determinator to validate whether the detection range includes the collaborative range. This intermediary validation step provides the missing information needed to accurately determine the collaborative state, bridging the gap between detection and state determination.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the robot reduces operating speed when human is detected, then safety is improved, but the operating efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the robot's operating state adjustable between different modes (collaborative state with reduced speed, non-collaborative state with normal speed). The controller dynamically switches between these states based on real-time determination results, optimizing both safety and efficiency by reducing speed only when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating speed parameter based on the determined collaborative state. When in collaborative state, the operating speed is reduced to a predetermined speed; when in non-collaborative state, the robot operates at normal speed. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by making speed reduction conditional rather than constant.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot controller that can accurately determine whether a collaborative robot is in either a collaborative state or a non-collaborative state. The robot controller includes: an acquisitor acquiring a prescribed detection range from a detection device detecting the human present in the detection range; a range determinator determining whether the detection range acquired by the acquisitor includes a set range set for a collaborative robot collaborating with the human so as to include a predetermined range regarding the robot; a speed determinator determining a magnitude relationship between an operating speed of the collaborative robot and a first speed; and a collaborative state determinator determining whether the collaborative robot is in either the collaborative state of being operable with the human or the non-collaborative state of not being operable therewith when the human enters the predetermined range, based on determination results of the range determinator and speed determinator.