Motion planning and task execution using potential occupancy envelopes
AssigneeSymbotic LLC
InventorsScott Denenberg, Clara Vu, Patrick Sobalvarro, Alberto Moel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Spatial regions potentially occupied by a robot (or other machinery) or portion thereof and a human operator during performance of all or a defined portion of a task or an application are computationally estimated. These “potential occupancy envelopes” (POEs) may be based on the states (e.g., the current and expected positions, velocities, accelerations, geometry and/or kinematics) of the robot and the human operator. Once the POEs of human operators in the workspace are established, they can be used to guide or revise motion planning for task execution.
Claims26
A safety system for enforcing safe operation of machinery performing an activity in a three-dimensional (3D) workspace, the system comprising:
- a computer memory for storing (i) a model of machinery and its permitted movements, (ii) a plurality of different task specifications, and (iii) geometric representations of a plurality of restriction zones within a 3D spatial representation of the workspace, wherein each of the restriction zones is associated with one of the task specifications;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- computationally generate the 3D spatial representation of the workspace;
- identify a 3D region of the workspace corresponding to space occupied or potentially occupied by a human within the workspace augmented by a 3D envelope around the human corresponding to anticipated movements of the human within the workspace during performance of the specified task, wherein the processor is configured so that the 3D envelope is bounded based on safety standards defining expected human motion in a hazardous setting, and either of
- modified to include a workpiece carried by the human, or
- truncated based on a physical boundary within the workspace;
- computationally generate a constrained motion plan comprising a trajectory of the machinery to perform the specified task without entering the 3D region;
- cause the machinery to execute the constrained motion plan and physically perform the specified task;
- and
- during physical performance of the specified task, restrict operation of the machinery to remain within or outside a restriction zone associated with a task specification of the specified task, wherein restricting operation of the machinery does not preclude physical performance of the specified task.
A method of enforcing safe operation of machinery performing an activity in a three-dimensional (3D) workspace, the method comprising the steps of:
- computationally generating a 3D spatial representation of the workspace;
- storing geometric representations of a plurality of restriction zones within the 3D spatial representation of the workspace, each restriction zone being associated with a different task specification;
- computationally identifying a 3D region of the workspace corresponding to space occupied or potentially occupied by a human within the workspace augmented by a 3D envelope around the human corresponding to anticipated movements of the human within the workspace during performance of a specified task, wherein the 3D envelope is bounded based on safety standards defining expected human motion in a hazardous setting, and either of
- modified to include a workpiece carried by the human, or
- truncated based on a physical boundary within the workspace;
- computationally generating a constrained motion plan comprising a trajectory of the machinery to perform the task without entering the 3D region;
- causing the machinery to execute the constrained motion plan and physically perform the specified task;
- and
- during physical performance of the specified task, restricting operation of the machinery to remain within or outside the restriction zone associated with the task specification of the specified task, wherein restricting operation of the machinery does not preclude physical performance of the specified task.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.