Systems and methods to facilitate human/robot interaction
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- a robot to perform one or more tasks in a workspace, the robot comprising;
one or more drive mechanisms to move the robot throughout the workspace; and
a processor in communication with at least the one or more drive mechanisms;
a wearable device comprising one or more short range transmission tags, the wearable device associated with one of a worker or the robot; and
a short range transmission reader configured to read the one or more short range transmission tags and associated with the other of the worker or the robot, the short range transmission reader to detect a short range transmission interaction;
wherein the processor instructs the robot to take evasive action based at least in part on a detection of the short range transmission interaction.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Short range transmissions are used to identify potential interactions between warehouse workers and warehouse robots in automated warehouses. The robot can be equipped with one or more short range transmission tags, such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, while the warehouse worker can be equipped with a short range transmission reader, such as an RFID reader. The robot can detect a warehouse worker that is within range when the RFID tags on the robot are written to by the RFID reader. The warehouse robots and warehouse workers can also be equipped with one or more cameras to identify fiducials in the automated warehouse and to report their positions. A central control or interaction server can ensure that warehouse robots and warehouse workers are routed appropriately to avoid incidents.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a robot to perform one or more tasks in a workspace, the robot comprising; one or more drive mechanisms to move the robot throughout the workspace; and a processor in communication with at least the one or more drive mechanisms; a wearable device comprising one or more short range transmission tags, the wearable device associated with one of a worker or the robot; and a short range transmission reader configured to read the one or more short range transmission tags and associated with the other of the worker or the robot, the short range transmission reader to detect a short range transmission interaction; wherein the processor instructs the robot to take evasive action based at least in part on a detection of the short range transmission interaction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method comprising:
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receiving, at a robot, a first route from a central control, the first route including at least a first path to a destination to perform a task in a workspace; sending a signal, from a processor to one or more drive mechanisms on the robot, to follow the first route; receiving, at the robot, a signal from the central control that a worker has entered the workspace; receiving, at the robot, a second route from the central control in response to a signal indicating a short range transmission interaction between a short range transmission reader and one or more short range transmission tags; and sending a signal, from a processor to one or more drive mechanisms on the robot, to follow the second route; wherein the short range transmission reader is associated with the one of the worker or the robot; and wherein the one or more short range transmission tags are associated with the other of the worker or the robot. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method comprising:
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receiving, at a robot, routing instructions from a central control, including at least a destination, to perform a task in a workspace; receiving, at the robot, a signal from the central control that a worker has entered the workspace; sending a signal, from a processor to one or more drive mechanisms on the robot, to take evasive action in response to a signal indicating a short range transmission interaction between a short range transmission reader and one or more short range transmission tags; wherein the short range transmission reader is associated with one of the worker or the robot; and wherein the one or more short range transmission tags are associated with the other of the worker or the robot. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification