Safety control module for a robot assembly and method of same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11571815-B2
Application number	US-201816955864-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2018
Priority date	Dec 21, 2017
Publication date	Feb 7, 2023
Grant date	Feb 7, 2023

Abstract

A robot assembly for safe operation in a manufacturing setting with humans including a sensor for detecting a human location and human movement is provided. A safety control module providing a boundary of a safety zone area that is associated with the human in a task oriented state that includes a largest possible area in which the human or an associated work object can extend when the human is standing in one location and performing the work task. The human movement and safety zone area location being used to develop a capture set area that includes at least one predictive future safety zone area location. Using the at least one predicted future safety zone area, establishing a travel path for moving the robot between locations without overlapping the capture set area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a robot assembly to prevent collision with a human in a manufacturing setting comprising:
providing a robot assembly with a safety control module;
determining a human location with a sensor;
determining with the safety control module at least one safety zone area to avoid corresponding to a work task assigned to the human, the at least one safety zone area including a first safety zone area including the area the human or an associated work object could extend when the human is standing in one location and performing the work task;
preventing the robot assembly from moving within the at least one safety zone area;
determining a capture set area that includes the first safety zone and a second safety zone that includes a respective area relative to the first safety zone area as a function of time, wherein determining the capture set area includes predicting at least one future location of the second safety zone area based on patterned movement of the second safety zone area as the human travels between locations;
wherein if a programed movement path of the robot assembly from a first location to a second location intersects the capture set, the method further includes determining an override path to avoid the capture set area to avoid the future location of the human;
wherein a C.P.U. on the robot assembly instructs the robot assembly to move along the override path until the human has moved away from a potentially overlapping position of the programed movement path; and
continuously developing the capture set area and changing the override path back to the programed movement path after moving along the override path prior to arriving at the second location if human movement does not move within the at least one future location that has been predicted.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the override path includes determining the most direct route over a predetermined time interval for avoiding the capture set.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the override path includes speed and direction of travel of the robot assembly.

4. The method of claim 2 , including simultaneously developing a plurality of capture set areas for a plurality of human locations and developing an override path that avoids each capture set area.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein assigned work task data corresponding to a specific human or a specific location is stored in a memory unit in communication with the C.P.U. to help develop the capture set area.

6. A method for operating a robot assembly to prevent collision with a human in a manufacturing setting comprising:
providing a robot assembly with a safety control module;
determining a human location with a sensor;
determining with the safety control module at least one safety zone area to avoid corresponding to a work task assigned to the human, the at least one safety zone area including a first safety zone area including the area the human or an associated work object could extend when the human is standing in one location and performing the work task; and
preventing the robot assembly from moving within the at least one safety zone area;
wherein in the event the sensor cannot determine the human location and safety zone, including a step of determining with the safety control module a blind capture set corresponding to the largest area the human or associated work object could move as a function of time, and wherein an area of the blind capture set expands with time when the sensor cannot determine the human location and safety zone.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the robot assembly discontinues movement once the blind capture set overlaps an area in which the robot assembly is in operation.

8. A robot assembly comprising:
a C.P.U. including one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions being executed by one or more processors;
a sensor for detecting a human location and human movement;
a safety control module including a human location data and a safety zone data transmitted from the sensor;
the human location data being associated with the human location;
the safety zone data providing a boundary of at least one safety zone area, the at least one safety zone area including a first safety zone area including an area that is associated with the human in a task oriented state that includes a largest possible area in which the human or an associated work object can extend when the human is standing in one location and performing the work task; and
wherein the safety zone data causes the processor to avoid moving the robot assembly into the safety zone area;
wherein the C.P.U is configured to;
determine a capture set area that includes the first safety zone and a second safety zone that includes a respective area relative to the first safety zone area as a function of time, wherein determining the capture set area includes predicting at least one future location of the second safety zone area based on patterned movement of the second safety zone area as the human travels between locations, wherein if a programed movement path of the robot assembly intersects the capture set, the C.P.U. is also configured to determine an override path to avoid the capture set area to avoid the future location of the human;
instruct the robot assembly to move along the override path until the human has moved away from a potentially overlapping position of the programed movement path; and
continuously develop the capture set area and changing the override path back to the programed movement path after moving along the override path and prior to arriving at the second location if human movement does not move within the at least one future location that has been predicted.

9. The robot assembly of claim 8 , including a moveable base to move the robot assembly between locations and wherein the one or more processors are caused to develop a capture set data based on sensor readings of changes to the safety zone data and the human location data, the capture set data including at least one predicted future second safety zone area location including a respective area relative to the first safety zone area as a function of time, and wherein the executable instructions include developing an override travel path data for the robot assembly that avoids the first and second safety zone areas.

10. The robot assembly of claim 9 , wherein the override path data includes instructions for a route of travel and the speed of the robot assembly to travel along the route.

11. The robot assembly of claim 10 , wherein the override path data includes the most direct route over a predetermined time interval for avoiding the capture set.

12. The robot assembly of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are further caused to develop a blind capture set when the sensor cannot determine the human location, the blind capture set including the largest area the human or associated work object could move as a function of time.

13. The robot assembly of claim 12 , wherein the blind capture set grows as a function to time when the sensor cannot determine the human location.

14. The robot assembly of claim 13 , wherein the blind capture set is circular with a center being the last sensed human location, and wherein a radius of the blind capture set grows as a function to time when the sensor cannot determine the human location.

15. The robot assembly of claim 12 , wherein the one or more processors are further caused to discontinue movement of the robot assembly once the blind capture set overlaps an area in which the robot a

Assignees

• Magna Int Inc

Inventors

• Verma Rajeev
• Zak Alexander
• Meka Rahul

Classifications

• F16P3/141

  using sound propagation, e.g. sonar · CPC title

• G05B2219/40298

  Manipulator on vehicle, wheels, mobile · CPC title

• F16P3/144

  using light grids · CPC title

• B60W30/09

  Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering · CPC title

• F16P3/14

  the means being photocells or other devices sensitive without mechanical contact · CPC title