Robot system in which brightness of installation table for robot is changed

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9764474-B2
Application number	US-201615004008-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2016
Priority date	Jan 27, 2015
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A robot system comprises an intrusion detector which detects that a person has entered into a monitoring area established around a robot, an installation table which supports the robot, a light emitting device which brightens a surface of the installation table, and a control device which receives a signal outputted by the intrusion detector and controls the light emitting device. The control device causes the light emitting device to emit light when it is detected that the person has entered into the monitoring area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A robot system, comprising:
an intrusion detector which detects that a person has entered into a monitoring area established around a robot;
an installation table which has an upper surface and a side surface, and supports the robot;
a light emitting device which brightens the side surface of the installation table; and
a control device which receives a signal outputted by the intrusion detector and controls the light emitting device, wherein
the upper surface of the installation table is a working surface for workpieces, and
the control device is configured to cause the light emitting device to emit light when it is detected that the person has entered into the monitoring area.

2. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the light emitting device blinks when it is detected that the person has entered into the monitoring area.

3. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the monitoring area includes a stopping area in which an operation of the robot is stopped when the person has entered thereinto, and a speed limiting area in which an operation speed of the robot is limited to a low speed when the person has entered thereinto,
the intrusion detector is configured to detect the intrusion of the person into the stopping area and the intrusion of the person into the speed limiting area separately,
the control device includes a light emission control unit which controls a color of light emitted by the light emitting device, and
the light emission control unit performs at least one of control for changing the color of the light emitted by the light emitting device and control for causing the light emitting device to be lit off, depending on the case where the person has entered into the stopping area, the case where the person has entered into the speed limiting area, or the case where the person does not intrude into both of the stopping area and the speed limiting area.

4. The robot system according to claim 1 , wherein
the monitoring area includes a stopping area in which an operation of the robot is stopped when the person has entered thereinto, and a speed limiting area in which an operation speed of the robot is limited to a low speed when the person has entered thereinto,
the intrusion detector is configured to detect the intrusion of the person into the stopping area and the intrusion of the person into the speed limiting area separately,
the control device includes a light emission control unit which controls time intervals at which the light emitting device blinks, and
the light emission control unit controls at least one of whether or not the light emitting device blinks and the blinking time intervals, depending on the case where the person has entered into the stopping area, the case where the person has entered into the speed limiting area, or the case where the person does not intrude into both of the stopping area and the speed limit area.

5. The robot system according to claim 1 , further comprises a moving device which moves the installation table, wherein
the monitoring area is moved with the movement of the installation table, and
the intrusion detector is fixed to the installation table so as to move with the installation table and is configured to detect that the person has entered into the monitoring area established at a position to which the installation table is moved.

Assignees

• Fanuc Corp

Inventors

• Yamamoto Tomoyuki
• Aramaki Takeaki
• Takahashi Hiromitsu

Classifications

• Y10S901/01

  Mobile robot · CPC title

• B25J9/1674

  characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic · CPC title

• B25J19/022

  using lasers · CPC title

• G05B2219/40196

  Projecting light on floor to delimit danger zone around robot · CPC title

• G05B2219/40203

  Detect position of operator, create non material barrier to protect operator · CPC title