Safe operation of machinery using potential occupancy envelopes
AssigneeVeo Robotics, Inc.
InventorsMarek Wartenberg, Paul Jakob Schroeder, Brad C. Mello, Clara Vu, Scott Denenberg, Nicole Aucoin, Alberto Moel
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Abstract
Various embodiments for enforcing safe operation of machinery performing an activity in a three-dimensional (3D) workspace includes computationally generating a 3D spatial representation of the workspace; computationally mapping 3D regions of the workspace corresponding to space occupied by the machinery and a human; and based thereon, restricting operation of the machinery in accordance with a safety protocol during physical performance of the activity.
Claims10
A system for spatially modeling a workspace in a human-robot collaborative application, the system comprising:
- a robot controller having a safety-rated component and a non-safety-rated component;
- an object-monitoring system configured to computationally generate a first potential occupancy envelope for a robot and a second potential occupancy envelope for a human operator when performing a task in the workspace, the first and second potential occupancy envelopes spatially encompassing movements performable by the robot and the human operator, respectively, during performance of the task;
- a first set of stored instructions executable by the non-safety-rated component of the controller for causing execution by the robot of a programmed task;
- a second set of stored instructions executable by the safety-rated component of the controller for stopping or slowing the robot;
- and
- a computer vision system for monitoring the robot and the human operator, the object-monitoring system being configured to reduce or enlarge a size of the first potential occupancy envelope in response to movement of the operator detected by the computer vision system,
- wherein the object-monitoring system is configured to computationally detect a predetermined degree of proximity between the first and second potential occupancy envelopes and to thereupon cause the controller to put the robot in a safe state, and also to issue commands (i) to the non-safety-rated component of the controller to increase a speed of the robot in accordance with an enlarged potential occupancy envelope and (ii) to the safety-rated component of the controller to enforce robot operation at or below the increased speed.
A method of spatially modeling a workspace in a human-robot collaborative application, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a robot controller having a safety-rated component and a non-safety-rated component;
- computationally generating a first potential occupancy envelope for a robot and a second potential occupancy envelope for a human operator when performing a task in the workspace, the first and second potential occupancy envelopes spatially encompassing movements performable by the robot and the human operator, respectively, during performance of the task;
- causing, by the non-safety-rated component of the controller, execution by the robot of a programmed task;
- causing, by the safety-rated component of the controller, the robot to enter a safe state upon computational detection of a predetermined degree of proximity between the first and second potential occupancy envelopes;
- computationally monitoring the robot and the human operator;
- reducing or enlarging a size of the first potential occupancy envelope in response to detected movement of the operator;
- causing, by the non-safety-rated component of the controller, a speed of the robot to increase in accordance with an enlarged potential occupancy envelope;
- and
- enforcing, by the safety-rated component of the controller, robot operation at or below the increased speed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.