Robot Work Region Projection for Surface-Aligned View Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators face difficulty in specifying work regions for robots, such as bending lines on workpieces, due to challenges in determining optimal projection directions, regardless of their skill level, which increases operational burden and time.
Innovation Solution
A work assistance device and method that project a work target surface in a direction perpendicular to the work target surface, generating a projection view parallel to it, allowing for easy designation of work regions and converting these designations back into the virtual space, using techniques like oriented bounding boxes to align with the robot's coordinate system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a three-dimensional workpiece is displayed in various projection directions, then the operator can view the workpiece from different angles, but it becomes difficult to determine the optimal projection direction regardless of operator skill level
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically changes the projection direction parameter based on the work target surface normal vector. Instead of requiring operators to manually select projection directions, the system calculates the optimal projection direction by changing the projection angle parameter to align with the work surface orientation, thereby resolving the contradiction between viewing flexibility and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically determining and generating the optimal projection view without operator intervention. The work assistance device calculates the work target surface, determines its normal vector, and automatically configures the projection direction, eliminating the burden on operators to determine optimal viewing angles while maintaining adaptability to different work surfaces
2Ease of operation
If the projection direction is manually determined, then the operator can control the view, but the operational burden and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-calculating the work target surface and its normal vector before the operator needs to specify the work region. The projection direction is determined in advance based on the work surface geometry, so when the operator needs to designate the work region, the optimal view is already prepared, significantly reducing the time required
Solution Approach 2:
The work assistance device performs self-service by automatically determining the projection direction without requiring operator control decisions. The system calculates the optimal view based on the work target surface normal vector and generates the projection automatically, eliminating the time-consuming manual determination process while maintaining the ability to control the view through automated means
3Device complexity
If a standard projection view is used, then the display is simple, but it does not align with the work target surface geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the projection parameters dynamically based on the work target surface geometry. Instead of using a fixed standard projection view, the system calculates the normal vector of the work surface and adjusts the projection direction parameters to align with this geometry, achieving precise alignment without excessive complexity through automated parameter calculation
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calculation of the work target surface normal vector and determines the optimal projection direction before generating the projection view. This preliminary action ensures that the projection aligns with the work surface geometry from the start, eliminating the need for complex real-time adjustments while maintaining precision
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a work assistance device and a work assistance method that automatically create a projected drawing suitable for designating a work region on a target, regardless of the skill level of a worker. The work assistance device has: a projected drawing creation function for projecting a work target, which has a work target surface that includes a work target region on which work is performed by a robot, in a direction perpendicular to the work target surface, thereby creating in a virtual space a projected drawing parallel to the work target surface; a work region designation function for designating a work target region in the projected drawing; and a work region conversion function for converting the location of the work target region designated in the projected drawing to a location in the virtual space.