Safety system for industrial robots

• US 10,071,481 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2016
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Denso PS Corporation (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Denso PS Corporation (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishino, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Santiago
• Application Number:
  US15/364,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20170197313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 34053911
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/20 Workers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1676 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32014 Augmented reality assists operator in maintenance, repair, programming, assembly, use of head mounted display with 2-D 3-D display and voice feedback, voice and gesture command
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39082 Collision, real time collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40202 Human robot coexistence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 Sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/49 Protective device

Abstract

A system to secure people'"'"'s safety in places such as a factory wherein people and industrial robot collaborate with each other in a state that a physical fence surrounding the preferred industrial robot'"'"'s working region is excluded. The system is capable of acquiring respective distances between robot and a plurality of people. Furthermore, a critical distance of each person is set on the basis of at least one of personal information that each person individually has and environment information to be set depending on the robot'"'"'s setting environment. A mounted-type monitor is respectively mounted on the plurality of people and is capable of displaying information within a view of each person, and a control unit is capable of controlling display content thereon. According to the display control, when a distance between robot and each person becomes less than a critical distance, the distance state is displayed on the mounted-type monitor.

Claims

1. A robot safety system adapted to be used in a factory in which a plurality of persons work together with an industrial robot, the robot safety system comprising:

a distance acquisition unit configured to acquire respective distances between the industrial robot and the plurality of persons;

a critical distance setting unit configured to set a critical distance of each of the persons based on at least one of personal information that each of the persons individually has and environment information to be set depending on a setting environment of the industrial robot;

a mounted-type monitor configured to be respectively mounted on the plurality of persons and to display information within a view of each of the persons; and

a control unit configured to control display content with respect to the mounted-type monitor,

wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process of showing that a distance between the industrial robot and each of the persons becomes less than the critical distance on the mounted-type monitor that each of the persons is mounting, when the distance between the industrial robot and each of the persons becomes less than the critical distance.

2. The robot safety system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process of at least displaying a first user display showing a first person whose distance to the industrial robot becomes less than the critical distance and a second user display showing a second person who is closest to the first person whose distance to the industrial robot becomes less than the critical distance on the mounted-type monitor with different forms, when the distance between the industrial robot and the first person becomes less than the critical distance.

3. The robot safety system according to claim 1, wherein the personal information includes basic information that is not basically changed during a working process and biological information that describes information in associated with a living body of the person.

4. The robot safety system according to claim 1,

further comprising an abnormality detection unit configured to detect abnormality occurring from any one person of the plurality of persons or a specific person of the plurality of persons,

wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process of displaying the abnormality occurring from the specific person on the mounted-type monitor mounted by another person excluding the specific person or the plurality of persons.

5. The robot safety system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process of displaying instruction content that instructs the another person or each of the plurality of persons of action to take by individually changing the instruction content of each of the persons in accordance with a position of each of the persons.

6. The robot safety system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process of displaying a user display showing the specific person on the mounted-type monitor the another person is mounting with a display form that is different from a state in which abnormality is not occurring, and also is configured to perform a process of displaying the critical distance set to the another person on the mounted-type monitor the another person is mounting.

7. The robot safety system according to claim 2, wherein the personal information includes basic information that is not basically changed during a working process and biological information that describes information in associated with a living body of the person.

8. The robot safety system according to claim 7,

further comprising an abnormality detection unit configured to detect abnormality occurring from any one person of the plurality of persons or a specific person of the plurality of persons,

wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process of displaying the abnormality occurring from the specific person on the mounted-type monitor mounted by another person excluding the specific person or the plurality of persons.

9. The robot safety system according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process of displaying instruction content that instructs the another person or each of the plurality of persons of action to take by individually changing the instruction content of each of the persons in accordance with a position of each of the persons.

10. The robot safety system according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process of displaying a user display showing the specific person on the mounted-type monitor the another person is mounting with a display form that is different from a state in which abnormality is not occurring, and also is configured to perform a process of displaying the critical distance set to the another person on the mounted-type monitor the another person is mounting.

11. The robot safety system according to claim 3,

further comprising an abnormality detection unit configured to detect abnormality occurring from any one person of the plurality of persons or a specific person of the plurality of persons,

wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process of displaying the abnormality occurring from the specific person on the mounted-type monitor mounted by another person excluding the specific person or the plurality of persons.

12. The robot safety system according to claim 11, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process of displaying instruction content that instructs the another person or each of the plurality of persons of action to take by individually changing the instruction content of each of the persons in accordance with a position of each of the persons.

13. The robot safety system according to claim 11, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process of displaying a user display showing the specific person on the mounted-type monitor the another person is mounting with a display form that is different from a state in which abnormality is not occurring, and also is configured to perform a process of displaying the critical distance set to the another person on the mounted-type monitor the another person is mounting.