Robot safety system and a method

• US 20110264266A1
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Research Ltd. (ABB Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kock, Soenke
• Granted Patent: US 8,249,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/253
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1676 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40202 Human robot coexistence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40203 Detect position of operator, create non material barrier to protect operator

Abstract

A robot safety system configured to protect humans in the vicinity of a working robot (1, 11, 21, 31) against harmful impacts by said robot (1, 11, 21, 31), said safety system comprising a sensor system (3, 13, 23) and a safety controller (4, 14, 24) configured to establish an impact risk profile of the robot (1, 11, 21, 31) and deliver an operating signal to a robot controller (2, 12, 22) based on said impact risk profile, wherein the safety controller (4, 14, 24) is configured to establish the impact risk profile based on stored data and input signals, and that the stored data and input signals comprise stored impact data, stored data related to the path of the robot (1, 11, 21, 31), and signals from the sensor system of events in the vicinity of the robot (1, 11, 21, 31), such as a detected human (P1, P11, P21, P22, P31, P32) in the vicinity of the robot (1, 11, 21, 31).

Claims

1. A robot safety system configured to protect humans in the vicinity of a working robot against harmful impacts by said robot, said safety system comprising;

a sensor system,

a safety controller configured to establish an impact risk profile of the robot based on stored data, data related to the path of the robot, and input signals from the sensor system of events in the vicinity of the robot, said events including a detected human in the vicinity of the robot, and to deliver an operating signal to a robot controller based on said impact risk profile,

wherein said stored data includes a map over the robot with impact values for at least some of the robot'"'"'s parts, said impact values being based on the degree of harm to a human being hit by said parts, and

wherein said stored data further includes a map over a human with harm values for at least some of the parts of the body of the human, said harm values being based on the degree of harm on said parts of the body of the human being hit by the robot.

2. A robot safety system according to claim 1, wherein the safety controller is further configured to deliver the operating signal to the robot controller which is configured to adjust the operating mode so as to adjust the risk for harmful impacts on a human in the vicinity of the robot.

3. A robot safety system according to claim 1, wherein the stored impact data comprises physical data about the robot selected from the group of:

weight, texture and geometry.

4. A robot safety system according to claim 1, wherein the stored impact data comprises physical data about a tool carried by the robot selected from the group of:

weight, texture and geometry.

5. A robot safety system according to claim 1, wherein the stored data on the path of the robot comprises data on:

the location of the robot at any given time,

the speed of the robot at any given time, and

the orientation of the robot at any given time.

6. A robot safety system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor system comprises at least one optical sensor.

7. A robot safety system according to claim 6, wherein the optical sensor is configured to survey an area in the vicinity to the robot with respect to the position, moving direction and moving speed of humans entering or working in said area.

8. A robot safety system according to claim 7, wherein the sensor system is configured to divide said area into zones based on the distance to the robot and send signals to said safety controller based on in which zone humans are detected.

9. A robot safety system according to claim 6, wherein the optical sensor is configured to survey the area in the vicinity to the robot with respect to the position, moving direction and moving speed of the parts of the body of a human entering or working in said area independently.

10. A robot safety system according to claim 1, wherein the safety system comprises a processor means configured to calculate an impact risk profile based on the stored data and input signals.

11. A robot safety system according to claim 1, wherein the impact risk profile comprises a portion consisting of the actual risk for impact based on:

the location of the robot at any given time,

the speed of the robot at any given time,

the orientation of the robot at any given time, and

the position, moving direction and moving speed of humans in the vicinity to the robot.

12. A robot safety system according to claim 1, wherein the impact risk profile comprises a portion consisting of the degree of harm a human being subjected to an impact from the robot is exposed to based on:

the speed and the orientation of the robot,

physical data about the robot,

a map over the robot with impact values for at least some of the robot parts, the impact values being based on the danger for a human to be hit by said parts, and

a map over a human with harm values for at least some of the parts of the body of the human, the harm values being based on the harm that can be done by an impact on said parts of the body of the human.

13. A method for protecting humans coming close to a working robot against harmful impacts by the robot, said method comprising the steps of;

sensing parameters influencing risk of occurrence of said harmful impacts,

calculating an impact risk profile on the basis of said parameters sensed, stored data related to the path of the robot, and signals from a sensor system of events in the vicinity of the robot including a detected human in the vicinity of the robot,

adapting said robot based on said impact risk profile,

wherein said impact risk profile is established while considering stored impact data in the form of a map over the robot with impact values for at least some of the robot'"'"'s parts, the impact values being based on the degree of harm on a human being hit by said parts, and stored impact data in the form of a map over a human with harm values for at least some of the parts of the body of the human, the harm values being based on the degree of harm on said parts of the body of the human being hit by the robot.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said adapting of said robot is performed by adjusting an operating mode of the robot so as to adjusting the risk for harmful impacts on a human in the vicinity of the robot.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein said impact risk profile is established while considering stored impact data in the form of physical data about the robot, selected from the group of:

weight, texture and geometry.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein said impact risk profile is established while considering stored impact data in the form of physical data about a tool carried by the robot selected from the group of:

weight, texture and geometry.

17. A method according to claim 13, wherein said impact risk profile is established while considering stored impact data in the form of:

the location of the robot at any given time,

the speed of the robot at any given time, and

the orientation of the robot at any given time.

18. A method according to claim 13, wherein said impact risk profile is established while considering signals from the sensor system in the form of signals from an optical sensor surveying an area in the vicinity to the robot with respect to the position, moving direction and moving speed of humans entering or working in said area.

19. A method according to claim 13, wherein said impact risk profile is established while considering signals from the sensor system in the form of signals from an optical sensor surveying an area in the vicinity to the robot with respect to the position, moving direction and moving speed of the parts of the body of a human entering or working in said area independently.

20. A method according to claim 13, wherein the operating signal delivered to the robot controller orders the robot controller to operate the robot in one of at least four operating modes based on the impact risk profile, said operating modes covers modes from full operational speed to full stop of the robot and various speed levels in between.