Method for avoiding collisions between two robots
AssigneeABB Schweiz AG
InventorAnders Lager
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for avoiding collisions between two robots providing first movement information related to a first robot movement; determining for a plurality of second robot movements whether they involve a risk for collision between the first and second robots; and executing one of the second robot movements. Information about a movement of one robot enables a robot controller of another robot with an overlapping work area to select among available robot movements an appropriate one that does not involve a risk for collision between the two robots.
Claims16
A method for avoiding collisions between two robots in a robot system comprising a first robot having a first work area and a second robot having a second work area, the first work area overlapping with the second work area to thereby define an overlapping work area, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing first movement information related to a first robot movement which is being executed by the first robot;
- retrieving the first movement information;
- determining for a plurality of second robot movements by the second robot whether the second robot movements involve a risk for collision between the first and second robots using the first movement information related to the first robot executing the first robot movement;
- and
- executing one of the second robot movements which has been determined to involve no risk for collision between the first and second robots
- wherein the first and second robots are configured to carry out a pick and place task such that at each point of time a number of available robot movements is related to a number of respective items or empty places that are within or are about to be within the work area of the respective robot, and the plurality of second robot movements is selected among the available robot movements.
A method for avoiding collisions between two robots in a robot system comprising a first robot having a first work area and a second robot having a second work area, the first work area overlapping with the second work area to thereby define an overlapping work area, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing first movement information related to a first robot movement which is to be executed by the first robot;
- retrieving the first movement information;
- determining for a plurality of second robot movements by the second robot whether the second robot movements involve a risk for collision between the first and second robots;
- and
- executing one of the second robot movements,
- wherein the first and second robots are configured to carry out a pick and place task such that at each point of time a number of available robot movements is related to a number of respective items or empty places that are within or are about to be within the work area of the respective robot, and the plurality of second robot movements is selected among the available robot movements,
- wherein the plurality of second robot movements comprises all available robot movements.
A robot system configured to carry out a pick and place task, the robot system comprising:
- a first robot having a first work area and a second robot having a second work area, the first work area overlapping with the second work area to thereby define an overlapping work area, and
- at least one robot controller for controlling movements of the first and second robots, wherein the robot controller is configured to execute a method comprising the steps of:
- providing first movement information related to a first robot movement which is being executed by the first robot;
- retrieving the first movement information;
- determining for a plurality of second robot movements by the second robot whether the second robot movements involve a risk for collision between the first and second robots using the first movement information related to the first robot executing the first robot movement;
- and
- executing one of the second robot movements which has been determined to involve no risk for collision between the first and second robots
- wherein the first and second robots are configured to carry out a pick and place task such that at each point of time a number of available robot movements is related to a number of respective items or empty places that are within or are about to be within the work area of the respective robot, and the plurality of second robot movements is selected among the available robot movements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.