Touchscreen Robot Control With Virtual Enable and Emergency Stop

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for controlling industrial robots using portable devices, such as smartphones and tablets, often neglect user safety, leading to potential accidents due to unintended robot operations or inability to quickly stop the robot in emergency situations.

Innovation Solution

A method for controlling robots using a portable terminal with a touchscreen, where users can customize the positions, sizes, and shapes of enable and emergency stop buttons, and the system responds to user inputs, terminal movements, gestures, and voice commands to transmit emergency signals for stopping the robot.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a dedicated pendant with physical enable button is used for robot control, then user safety is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser safetyVSAvoidoperation convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical enable button system with a touchscreen-based virtual enable button system. The touchscreen interface displays virtual buttons that can be configured with different positions, sizes, and shapes, allowing users to operate robots using portable devices instead of dedicated physical pendants, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining safety through software-based control mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic configuration of virtual enable buttons, allowing users to customize button positions, sizes, and shapes according to their preferences and operational needs. This dynamic adaptability enables the interface to adjust to different users and situations, improving both ease of operation and safety by allowing optimal button placement for each user's hand position and operational context.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If tablet PCs or smartphones are used for robot control, then ease of operation is improved, but user safety deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperation convenienceVSAvoiduser safety

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system monitors button press events and provides visual feedback on the touchscreen to confirm user actions. The control device receives signals from the portable device and provides status information back to the user interface, ensuring users are aware of robot states and control actions, thereby preventing unintended operations and improving safety while maintaining the convenience of portable device operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent requires users to press the virtual enable button simultaneously with other control buttons to execute robot commands. This preliminary action (pressing enable button first) prevents unintended robot operations by ensuring deliberate user intent before command execution, thereby improving safety while maintaining ease of operation through the touchscreen interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Ease of operation

If virtual enable buttons are made large and prominent, then ease of operation is improved, but the risk of unintended activation increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebutton accessibilityVSAvoidunintended activation risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent allows different virtual buttons to have different sizes, shapes, and positions customized by users. The enable button can be configured with specific local characteristics (size, position, shape) that balance accessibility with safety. Users can position the enable button in areas less likely to be accidentally touched while still maintaining adequate size for deliberate pressing, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and unintended activation risk.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system requires the enable button to be pressed simultaneously with other control buttons to execute commands. This preliminary action requirement ensures that even if the enable button is large and easily accessible, it cannot activate robot functions alone - another button must be pressed at the same time, thereby preventing unintended activation while maintaining ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Provides a user-specific interface for safe and efficient robot control, enabling quick response to emergencies by allowing customizable button placement and using sensors to detect user actions, thereby preventing accidents.

Implementation Method 1

detecting a registered posture of the user terminal, impact and shaking of the user terminal, a user gesture, a voice command, and the like by an accelerometer, an image sensor, a sound sensor, and the like of the user terminal

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAccelerometer: Accelerometer

Implementation Method 2

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectImage sensor:

Implementation Method 3

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSound sensor:

Data Source

PatentUS11485023B2Robot controlling method using portable device including touchscreen

Publication Date: 2022.11.01 AJINEXTEK

AI summary

A method for controlling a robot device using a portable terminal including a touchscreen is provided. The method includes displaying an enable button in a first area of the touchscreen, displaying an emergency stop button in a second area of the touchscreen, displaying a plurality of robot control buttons in a third area of the touchscreen, in response to simultaneously receiving from a user an input on the first area and an input on the third area, transmitting a robot control signal to a control device configured to control the robot device, and in response to receiving an input from the user on the second area, transmitting an emergency signal to the control device.