Monitoring system, monitoring device, and monitoring method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10452939-B2
Application number	US-201715818756-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2017
Priority date	Feb 15, 2017
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

A monitoring system, a monitoring device, and a monitoring method are provided. The monitoring system includes a detection part that detects a position of a worker intruded into a work area, a first specifying part that specifies a worker movable area on the basis of a position of the worker, an image capturing part that captures an image of an area including at least the worker movable area and a predetermined robot occupied area, a second specifying part that specifies a robot movable area from the image of the area, a third specifying part that specifies a human body area of the worker from the image of the area, a measuring part that measures the distance between the robot movable area and the human body area, and a restricting part that restricts movement of the robot when the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A monitoring system configured to monitor movement of a worker and a robot to allow the worker to work safely in a work area in which the worker and the robot work, the monitoring system comprising:
a sensor configured to detect a position of the worker that has intruded into the work area;
a first controller configured to specify a worker movable area indicating a range in which the worker is movable on the basis of the position of the worker detected by the sensor;
a camera configured to capture an image of an area including at least the worker movable area specified by the first controller and a predetermined robot occupied area of the robot; and
a second controller configured to specify a robot movable area indicating a range in which a movable portion of the robot is movable according to the image of the area captured by the camera, and further configured to specify a human body area of the worker according to the image of the area captured by the camera,
wherein the second controller is further configured to set an area obtained by excluding an area in which the worker cannot be present from an area that is a combination of the worker movable area and the robot occupied area that at least partially overlaps the worker movable area as a combined area,
wherein the camera is configured to capture the image of only the combined area,
wherein the first controller is further configured to measure a distance between the robot movable area specified by the second controller and the human body area specified by the second controller,
wherein the first controller is further configured to restrict movement of the robot when the distance measured by the first controller is equal to or less than a predetermined distance.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second controller is configured to specify the robot movable area according to an image of the combined area in the area captured by the camera, and
the second controller-is configured to specify the human body area according to the image of the combined area in the area captured by the camera.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the second controller is configured to specify the robot movable area on the basis of a marker provided on the movable portion of the robot.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second controller is further configured to specify a position of the movable portion of the robot according to an image captured by the camera on the basis of a marker provided on the movable portion of the robot, and
wherein the first controller is further configured to compare the position of the movable portion of the robot specified by the second controller with a movement indicated by movement information input to a controller of the robot.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the robot is shiftable,
the sensor is further configured to specify a position of the robot, and
the first controller is further configured to specify the robot occupied area on the basis of the position of the robot detected by the sensor.

6. A monitor configured to monitor movement of a worker and a robot to allow the worker to work safely in a work area in which the worker and the robot work, the monitor comprising:
a first controller configured to specify a worker movable area indicating a range in which the worker is movable on the basis of a position of the worker detected by a sensor configured to detect the position of the worker that has intruded into the work area; and
a second controller configured to specify a robot movable area indicating a range in which a movable portion of the robot is movable according to an image of an area captured by a camera configured to capture the image of the area including at least the worker movable area specified by the first controller and a predetermined robot occupied area of the robot,
wherein the second controller is further configured to specify a human body area of the worker according to the image of the area captured by the camera,
wherein the second controller is further configured to set an area obtained by excluding an area in which the worker cannot be present from an area that is a combination of the worker movable area and the robot occupied area that at least partially overlaps the worker movable area as a combined area,
wherein the camera is configured to capture the image of only the combined area,
wherein the first controller is further configured to measure a distance between the robot movable area specified by the second controller and the human body area specified by the second controller; and
the first controller is further configured to restrict movement of the robot when the distance measured by the first controller is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

7. A monitoring method for monitoring movement of a worker and a robot to allow the worker to work safely in a work area in which the worker and the robot work, the monitoring method comprising:
specifying a worker movable area indicating a range in which the worker is movable on the basis of a position of the worker detected by a sensor configured to detect the position of the worker that has intruded into the work area;
setting an area obtained by excluding an area in which the worker cannot be present from an area that is a combination of the worker movable area and a predetermined robot occupied area of the robot that at least partially overlaps the worker movable area as a combined area;
capturing an image of only the combined area;
specifying a robot movable area indicating a range in which a movable portion of the robot is movable according to the captured image of only the combined area;
specifying a human body area of the worker according to the image of the area captured by the camera;
measuring a distance between the robot movable area and the human body area; and
restricting movement of the robot when the measured distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Tani Yoshiharu
• Higuchi Toshiyuki
• Matsukawa Ikuo
• Kudo Kazuhiro
• Akagi Tetsuya
• Shimokawa Satoru
• Matsuoka Kazushige

Classifications

• G06V20/52 Primary

  Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) · CPC title

• Y10S901/49

  Protective device · CPC title

• G05B2219/40201

  Detect contact, collision with human · CPC title

• F16P3/142 Primary

  using image capturing devices · CPC title

• G05B2219/40492

  Model manipulator by spheres for collision avoidance · CPC title