Position monitoring of a kinematic linkage
In order to detect when a kinematic linkage leaves workspaces and/or enters safe spaces, using little computing power, and therefore doing so more quickly, at least a part of the kinematic linkage is modeled with a number of kinematic objects, and a monitoring space is specified. The number of kinematic objects is modeled in less than two dimensions D<2. For each modeled kinematic object, a geometric variable of a monitoring space is modified by a distance. Each distance is derived from at least one geometric parameter of the modeled kinematic object. The position of each of the number of kinematic objects is checked in relation to the modified monitoring spaces.
1. A method for monitoring positions of a mechanical kinematic linkage in relation to a predefined monitoring space, wherein the mechanical kinematic linkage is to be operated to one of avoid a collision with a person, machine or fixed installation within the predefined monitoring space or avoid a collision with a person, machine or fixed installation outside of the predefined monitoring space, comprising:
modeling at least a part of the mechanical kinematic linkage with a number of kinematic objects having fewer than two dimensions;
for each respective kinematic object, modifying at least one geometric variable of the predefined monitoring space by a distance derived from at least one geometric parameter of the respective kinematic object;
checking a position of each respective kinematic object in relation to the predefined monitoring space as modified for the respective kinematic object; and
operating the mechanical kinematic linkage based on the checking of the positions of each respective kinematic object in relation to the predefined monitoring space as modified for the respective kinematic object in a manner to prevent the mechanical kinematic linkage, while moving, from one of entering the predefined monitoring space, thereby avoiding the collision with the person, machine or fixed installation within the predefined monitoring space, or leaving the predefined monitoring space, thereby avoiding the collision with the person, machine or fixed installation outside of the predefined monitoring space.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the kinematic objects is modeled in zero dimensions.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the kinematic objects is modeled in one dimension.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each kinematic object modeled in one dimension comprises two kinematic objects having zero dimensions, and a defined spacing between two zero dimension kinematic objects.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one kinematic object models a space outside the kinematic linkage.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring space is a line.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring space is an area.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring space is a body.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predefined monitoring space comprises a safe space having a size, for each kinematic object, that is increased by the distance derived from the at least one geometric parameter of each respective kinematic object.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predefined monitoring space comprises a workspace having a predetermined size, for each kinematic object, that is reduced by the distance derived from the at least one geometric parameter of each respective kinematic object.
11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the geometry of the monitoring space is adapted on the basis of an expected deviation between a computed position and a real position of the kinematic object.
12. A method for determining movement of a mechanical kinematic linkage in relation to a predefined monitoring space, wherein the mechanical kinematic linkage is to be operated to one of avoid a collision with a person, machine or fixed installation within the predefined monitoring space or avoid a collision with a person, machine or fixed installation outside of the predefined monitoring space, the method comprising:
modeling at least a part of the mechanical kinematic linkage with a number of kinematic objects in less than two dimensions;
modifying at least one geometric variable of the predefined safe monitoring space by a distance corresponding to at least one geometric parameter of a first one of the kinematic objects;
modifying at least one geometric variable of the predefined safe monitoring space by a distance being derived from at least one geometric parameter of a second one of the kinematic objects;
checking a position of the first one of the kinematic objects in relation to the monitoring space as modified for the first kinematic object;
checking a position of the second one of the kinematic objects in relation to the monitoring space as modified for the second kinematic object; and
operating the mechanical kinematic linkage based on the checking of the position of the first one of the kinematic objects in relation to the monitoring space as modified for the first kinematic object and the position of the second one of the kinematic objects in relation to the monitoring space as modified for the second kinematic object in a manner to prevent the mechanical kinematic linkage, while moving, from one of entering the predefined monitoring space, thereby avoiding the collision with the person, machine or fixed installation within the predefined monitoring space, or leaving the predefined monitoring space, thereby avoiding the collision with the person, machine or fixed installation outside of the predefined monitoring space.
13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the predefined monitoring space comprises a safe space having a size, for each kinematic object, that is increased by the distance derived from the at least one geometric parameter of each respective kinematic object.
14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the predefined monitoring space comprises a workspace having a size, for each kinematic object, that is reduced by the distance derived from the at least one geometric parameter of each respective kinematic object.
15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein, for each additional kinematic objects, the method further comprises:
modifying at least one geometric variable of the predefined monitoring space by a distance derived from at least one geometric parameter of each additional kinematic object; and
checking a position of each additional kinematic object in relation to the monitoring space as modified for each additional kinematic object.
16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predefined monitoring space comprises a safe space and wherein the checking comprises determining whether any of the respective modeled kinematic objects lie within or extend into the safe space, as a violation of the safe space.
17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predefined monitoring space comprises a workspace and wherein the checking comprises determining whether any of the respective modeled kinematic objects lie outside of or extend out of the workspace, as a violation of the workspace.
18. A method for monitoring positions of a mechanical kinematic linkage in relation to a predefined monitoring space, wherein the mechanical kinematic linkage is to be operated to one of avoid a collision with a person, machine or fixed installation within the predefined monitoring space or avoid a collision with a person, machine or fixed installation outside of the predefined monitoring space comprising:
modeling at least a part of the mechanical kinematic linkage with a number of kinematic objects having fewer than two dimensions;
for each respective kinematic object, modifying at least one geometric variable of the predefined monitoring space by a distance derived from at least one geometric parameter of the respective kinematic object;
checking a position of each respective kinematic object in relation to the predefined monitoring space as modified for the respective kinematic object; and
operating the mechanical kinematic linkage based on the checking of the positions of each respective kinematic object in relation to the predefined monitoring space as modified for the respective kinematic object in a manner to prevent the mechanical kinematic linkage, while moving, from one of entering the predefined monitoring space or leaving the predefined monitoring space.
19. A method for determining movement of a mechanical kinematic linkage in relation to a predefined monitoring space, wherein the mechanical kinematic linkage is to be operated to one of avoid a collision with a person, machine or fixed installation within the predefined monitoring space or avoid a collision with a person, machine or fixed installation outside of the predefined monitoring space, the method comprising:
modeling at least a part of the mechanical kinematic linkage with a number of kinematic objects in less than two dimensions;
modifying at least one geometric variable of the predefined safe monitoring space by a distance corresponding to at least one geometric parameter of a first one of the kinematic objects;
modifying at least one geometric variable of the predefined safe monitoring space by a distance being derived from at least one geometric parameter of a second one of the kinematic objects;
checking a position of the first one of the kinematic objects in relation to the monitoring space as modified for the first kinematic object;
checking a position of the second one of the kinematic objects in relation to the monitoring space as modified for the second kinematic object; and
operating the mechanical kinematic linkage based on the checking of the position of the first one of the kinematic objects in relation to the monitoring space as modified for the first kinematic object and the position of the second one of the kinematic objects in relation to the monitoring space as modified for the second kinematic object in a manner to prevent the mechanical kinematic linkage, while moving, from one of entering the predefined monitoring space or leaving the predefined monitoring space.