SAFETY SYSTEM FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS

• US 20170197313A1
• Filed: 11/30/2016
• Published: 07/13/2017
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,071,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A robot safety system, comprising:

a distance acquisition unit to acquire respective distances between an industrial robot and a plurality of people;

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

a mounted-type monitor to be respectively mounted on the plurality of people and to be capable of displaying information within a view of the each person; and

a control unit 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 robot and the each person becomes less than the critical distance on the mounted-type monitor that the each person is mounting, when the distance between the robot and the each person becomes less than the critical distance.

8. The robot safety system according to claim 7, wherein the control unit is capable of performing a process of at least displaying a first user display showing a person whose distance to the robot becomes less than the critical distance and a second user display showing a person who is closest to the person whose distance to the robot becomes less than the critical distance on the mounted-type monitor with different forms, when the distance between the robot and the person becomes less than the critical distance.

9. The robot safety system according to claim 7, wherein the personal information is configured to include 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.

10. The robot safety system according to claim 7,

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

wherein the control unit is capable of performing 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 people.

11. The robot safety system according to claim 10, wherein the control unit is capable of performing a process of displaying instruction content that instructs the another person or each of the plurality of people should to take action by individually changing the instruction content of the each person in accordance with a position of the each person.

12. The robot safety system according to claim 10, wherein the control unit is capable of performing 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 capable of performing a process of displaying the critical distance set to the another person on the mounted-type monitor the another person is mounting.

13. The robot safety system according to claim 8, wherein the personal information is configured to include 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.

14. The robot safety system according to claim 13,

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

wherein the control unit is capable of performing 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 people.

15. The robot safety system according to claim 14, wherein the control unit is capable of performing a process of displaying instruction content that instructs the another person or each of the plurality of people should to take action by individually changing the instruction content of the each person in accordance with a position of the each person.

16. The robot safety system according to claim 14, wherein the control unit is capable of performing 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 capable of performing a process of displaying the critical distance set to the another person on the mounted-type monitor the another person is mounting.

17. The robot safety system according to claim 9,

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

wherein the control unit is capable of performing 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 people.

18. The robot safety system according to claim 17, wherein the control unit is capable of performing a process of displaying instruction content that instructs the another person or each of the plurality of people should to take action by individually changing the instruction content of the each person in accordance with a position of the each person.

19. The robot safety system according to claim 17, wherein the control unit is capable of performing 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 capable of performing a process of displaying the critical distance set to the another person on the mounted-type monitor the another person is mounting.