Industrial Robot Touch Commands With Context-Based Action Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for controlling industrial robots in collaborative environments are inefficient and prone to errors due to the limited number of suitable touch patterns and gestures, which can be confusing and time-consuming, especially in noisy environments.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method where a single interactive command, such as a tap, can trigger multiple actions based on the current context of the robot, with feedback provided to the user to clarify the intended action, allowing for flexible and intuitive control without the need for additional hardware interfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple touch patterns and gestures are defined to represent different commands, then the range of possible actions increases, but the complexity of the interaction system increases and users find it difficult to remember the commands
Solution Approach 1:
A single touch command is designed to perform multiple functions by detecting different touch patterns (single touch, double touch, long press, etc.) and interpreting them as different commands based on the robot's current state. This eliminates the need for users to remember multiple complex gestures while still providing a wide range of controllable actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The meaning of the touch command dynamically changes based on the robot's current state. The same physical gesture can trigger different actions depending on whether the robot is in motion, stationary, in teach mode, or in automatic mode, making the interaction system adaptable without increasing complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a portable user interface is used to communicate with the robot, then the user can access multiple functions, but the communication process becomes slow and unintuitive
Solution Approach 1:
The essential control functions are extracted from the portable user interface and implemented through simple touch commands on the robot itself. This allows users to perform the most common operations quickly and intuitively without needing to navigate through menus on a TPU or other portable interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot itself becomes the interface by incorporating touch-sensitive surfaces that directly respond to user touches. The robot provides its own control interface, eliminating the need for external portable devices and enabling immediate, intuitive control.
3Ease of operation
If voice commands are used to control the robot, then the user can keep hands on the robot, but additional equipment is required and it may be impractical in noisy environments
Solution Approach 1:
The robot utilizes its existing touch-sensitive surfaces and processing capabilities to interpret touch patterns as commands. This eliminates the need for additional voice recognition equipment while maintaining hands-free operation capability through natural touching gestures.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for controlling an industrial robot (1) using interactive commands and a control unit (2) for controlling the motions of an industrial robot (1) based on interactive commands. The control unit comprises data storage (4) for storing at least one defined interactive command and a processing unit (6) configured to execute the interactive command upon recognizing the interactive command. The data storage (4) comprises a plurality of defined actions to be performed upon recognizing the defined interactive command, and the processing unit (6) is configured to determine the current context of the robot, to select which action to be performed based on the actions defined for the command and the current context of the robot, and to perform the selected action upon recognizing the interactive command.