Safety Guide Robot Coordination for Human Access in AMR Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems for human-robot interaction in autonomous environments either require extensive safety monitoring with additional sensors, increasing costs, or separate human and robot areas, leading to inefficiencies when humans enter the environment, necessitating shutdowns.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of Safety Guide Robots (SGRs) that accompany and guide humans through environments, using sensors and communication with AMRs to monitor and control their movements, ensuring safety while minimizing disruptions to robot operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If extensive safety monitoring with additional sensors is implemented, then human safety is improved, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a safety guide robot as an intermediary entity between humans and autonomous mobile robots. This mediator robot monitors human positions, communicates with AMRs to coordinate movements, and provides physical guidance to humans, thereby ensuring safety without requiring extensive additional sensors on the AMRs themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety guide robot performs self-monitoring of human positions and self-coordination with AMRs using its own onboard sensors and communication systems. Rather than requiring the AMRs to have extensive safety sensors, the safety guide robot independently manages safety monitoring functions.
2Reliability
If separate human and robot areas are implemented, then human safety is improved, but productivity decreases due to shutdowns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic spatial separation where the safety guide robot dynamically adjusts its position between humans and AMRs based on real-time conditions. Rather than fixed separate areas requiring shutdowns, the system dynamically manages shared space through active intervention by the safety guide robot.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety guide robot acts as a mobile intermediary that enables safe interaction in shared spaces by physically guiding humans away from hazardous areas and communicating with AMRs to coordinate their movements, allowing continuous operation without shutdowns.
3Reliability
If additional sensors are added to AMRs for safety monitoring, then human safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety guide robot serves as an intermediary that concentrates safety monitoring sensors on itself rather than distributing them across multiple AMRs. The safety guide robot uses its sensors to monitor human positions and communicates this information to AMRs, reducing the sensor burden on each individual robot.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety guide robot performs multiple functions including human position monitoring, human guidance, AMR communication, and hazard detection using a single set of sensors, rather than requiring each AMR to have dedicated safety sensors.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed to facilitate path planning safety guiding robots (SGR) for safely navigating and guiding humans through autonomous environments having other autonomous agents such as stationary and/or mobile robots.