Methods and systems for providing robotic operation constraints for remote controllable robots

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018281179-A1
Application number	US-201715478735-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 4, 2017
Priority date	Apr 4, 2017
Publication date	Oct 4, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of constraining operation of a robot includes receiving, using network interface hardware of a robot, one or more robotic control instructions from a user, where the robotic control instructions instruct the robot to perform a robotic movement, determining whether the user providing the one or more robotic control instructions to the robot is a primary user or a secondary user, and comparing the robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions with one or more robotic operation constraints. The method further includes determining whether the robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions conflicts with the one or more robotic operation constraints and constraining operation of the robot when the user is the secondary user and the robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions conflicts with the one or more robotic operation constraints.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of constraining operation of a robot, the method comprising:
receiving, using network interface hardware of a robot, one or more robotic control instructions from a user, wherein the robotic control instructions instruct the robot to perform at least one robotic movement; determining whether the user providing the one or more robotic control instructions to the robot is a primary user or a secondary user; comparing the at least one robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions with one or more robotic operation constraints; determining whether the at least one robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions conflicts with the one or more robotic operation constraints; and constraining operation of the robot when the user is the secondary user and the at least one robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions conflicts with the one or more robotic operation constraints.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more robotic operation constraints comprise one or more authorized robotic movements and one or more restricted robotic movements; and the at least one robotic movement instructed by the robotic control instructions conflicts with the one or more robotic operation constraints when the at least one robotic movement comprises at least one of the one or more restricted robotic movements.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the robot is located in an operation environment comprising one or more authorized regions and one or more restricted regions; and at least one of the one or more restricted robotic movements comprises the robot entering at least one of the one or more restricted regions.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing the one or more robotic operation constraints by:
verifying that the user is the primary user; receiving, using the network interface hardware of the robot, a plurality of control instructions from the primary user such that the robot performs a plurality of robotic movements, wherein each individual robotic movement is based on an individual control instruction: storing robotic movement pattern information regarding each of the plurality of robotic movements; and establishing the one or more robotic operation constraints based on robotic movement pattern information regarding each of the plurality of robotic movements.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more robotic operation constraints comprise:
one or more authorized robotic movements comprising each of the plurality of robotic movements instructed by the plurality of control instructions received by the robot from the primary user; and one or more restricted robotic movements comprising one or more robotic movements that are different than each of the plurality of robotic movements instructed by the plurality of control instructions received by the robot from the primary user.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more robotic operation constraints comprise:
one or more restricted robotic movements comprising each of the plurality of robotic movements instructed by the plurality of control instructions received by the robot from the primary user; and one or more authorized robotic movements comprising one or more robotic movements that are different than each of the plurality of robotic movements instructed by the plurality of control instructions received by the robot from the primary user.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating an alarm using a feedback device when the user is the secondary user and the at least one robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions conflicts with the one or more robotic operation constraints.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying on a display interface a visual representation of an operation environment in which the robot is located; and when the user is the secondary user, augmenting the visual representation of the operation environment to distort at least one portion of the visual representation of the operation environment.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more robotic operation constraints comprise general robotic operation constraints that constrain operation of the robot during each of a plurality of robotic tasks that the robot is configured to perform when the user is the secondary user and the at least one robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions conflicts with the general robotic operation constraints.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more robotic operation constraints comprise task specific robotic operation constraints that constrain operation of the robot during a subset of each of a plurality of robotic tasks that the robot is configured to perform when the user is the secondary user and the at least one robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions conflicts with the task specific robotic operation constraints.

11 . A robot control system comprising:
a robot comprising network interface hardware; a human-robot interface apparatus communicatively coupled to the robot; one or more processors; one or more memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors; and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that cause the robot control system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:
receive, using the network interface hardware of the robot, one or more robotic control instructions from a user, wherein the robotic control instructions instruct the robot to perform at least one robotic movement;
determine whether the user providing the one or more robotic control instructions to the robot is a primary user or a secondary user;
compare the at least one robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions with one or more robotic operation constraints;
determine whether the at least one robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions conflicts with the one or more robotic operation constraints; and
constrain operation of the robot when the user is the secondary user and the at least one robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions conflicts with the one or more robotic operation constraints.

12 . The robot control system of claim 11 , wherein:
the one or more robotic operation constraints comprise one or more authorized robotic movements and one or more restricted robotic movements; and the at least one robotic movement instructed by the robotic control instructions conflicts with the one or more robotic operation constraints when the at least one robotic movement comprises at least one of the one or more restricted robotic movements.

13 . The robot control system of claim 12 , wherein:
the robot is located in an operation environment comprising one or more authorized regions and one or more restricted regions; and at least one of the one or more restricted robotic movements comprises the robot entering at least one of the one or more restricted regions.

14 . The robot control system of claim 11 , further comprising a feedback device communicatively coupled to the robot and configured to generate an alarm when the user is the secondary user and the at least one robotic movement instructed by the one or more robotic control instructions conflicts with the one or more robotic operation constraints.

15 . The robot control system of clai

Assignees

• Toyota Res Inst Inc

Inventors

• Michalakis Nikolaos

Classifications

• G05B2219/40131

  Virtual reality control, programming of manipulator · CPC title

• B25J9/1676

  Avoiding collision or forbidden zones · CPC title

• B25J9/1666 Primary

  Avoiding collision or forbidden zones · CPC title

• B25J9/161 Primary

  Hardware, e.g. neural networks, fuzzy logic, interfaces, processor · CPC title

• B25J19/06

  Safety devices · CPC title