Safe operation of machinery using potential occupancy envelopes
Various embodiments for enforcing safe operation of machinery performing an activity in a three-dimensional (3D) workspace includes computationally generating a 3D spatial representation of the workspace; computationally mapping 3D regions of the workspace corresponding to space occupied by the machinery and a human; and based thereon, restricting operation of the machinery in accordance with a safety protocol during physical performance of the activity.
1. A system for spatially modeling a workspace in a human-robot collaborative application, the system comprising:
a robot controller having a safety-rated component and a non-safety-rated component;
an object-monitoring system configured to computationally generate a first potential occupancy envelope for a robot and a second potential occupancy envelope for a human operator when performing a task in the workspace, the first and second potential occupancy envelopes spatially encompassing movements performable by the robot and the human operator, respectively, during performance of the task;
a first set of stored instructions executable by the non-safety-rated component of the controller for causing execution by the robot of a programmed task;
a second set of stored instructions executable by the safety-rated component of the controller for stopping or slowing the robot; and
a computer vision system for monitoring the robot and the human operator, the object-monitoring system being configured to reduce or enlarge a size of the first potential occupancy envelope in response to movement of the operator detected by the computer vision system,
wherein the object-monitoring system is configured to computationally detect a predetermined degree of proximity between the first and second potential occupancy envelopes and to thereupon cause the controller to put the robot in a safe state, and also to issue commands (i) to the non-safety-rated component of the controller to increase a speed of the robot in accordance with an enlarged potential occupancy envelope and (ii) to the safety-rated component of the controller to enforce robot operation at or below the increased speed.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined degree of proximity corresponds to a protective separation distance.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined degree of proximity is computed dynamically by the object-monitoring system based on a current state of the robot and the human operator.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the object-monitoring system is configured to issue commands (i) to the non-safety-rated component of the controller to slow the robot to operate at a reduced speed in accordance with a reduced-size potential occupancy envelope and (ii) to the safety-rated component of the controller to enforce robot operation at or below the reduced speed.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the safety-rated component of the controller is configured to enforce the reduced or enlarged first potential occupancy envelope as a keep-in zone.
6. A method of spatially modeling a workspace in a human-robot collaborative application, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a robot controller having a safety-rated component and a non-safety-rated component;
computationally generating a first potential occupancy envelope for a robot and a second potential occupancy envelope for a human operator when performing a task in the workspace, the first and second potential occupancy envelopes spatially encompassing movements performable by the robot and the human operator, respectively, during performance of the task;
causing, by the non-safety-rated component of the controller, execution by the robot of a programmed task;
causing, by the safety-rated component of the controller, the robot to enter a safe state upon computational detection of a predetermined degree of proximity between the first and second potential occupancy envelopes;
computationally monitoring the robot and the human operator;
reducing or enlarging a size of the first potential occupancy envelope in response to detected movement of the operator;
causing, by the non-safety-rated component of the controller, a speed of the robot to increase in accordance with an enlarged potential occupancy envelope; and
enforcing, by the safety-rated component of the controller, robot operation at or below the increased speed.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined degree of proximity corresponds to a protective separation distance.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined degree of proximity is computed dynamically based on a current state of the robot and the human operator.
9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the steps of causing, by the non-safety-rated component of the controller, the robot to operate at a reduced speed in accordance with a reduced-size potential occupancy envelope and enforcing, by the safety-rated component of the controller, robot operation at or below the reduced speed.
10. The method of claim 6 , further comprising enforcing, by the safety-rated component of the controller, the reduced or enlarged first potential occupancy envelope as a keep-in zone.