Adaptive speed and separation monitoring based on switching of safety zones for effective human robot collaboration

This paper presents the design and deployment of a system that enables the safe cooperation and interaction of human operators with industrial robots. Dynamically switched safety zones are used to monitor human presence and respectively adapt robot behavior, namely speed and movement status. An overhead safety camera system is used to identify moving objects within each zone and produce warning and stop signals which are used to regulate the behavior of the robot, slowing it down and stopping it respectively. Based on the real time position reporting of the robot, continuous switching between zone configurations is achieved. This leads to a more efficient speed and separation monitoring process, as defined by ISO/TS 15066, EN-ISO 10218-1 and EN ISO 10218-2, compared to a fixed fence solution. Unlike the case of virtual fences which are currently implemented using light barriers, this approach allows humans to use more workspace from the robot while ensuring separation. The control architecture design and the implementation of the system on a pilot cell inspired from the automotive industry are presented in this paper, as well..

Automated summary

This paper presents the design and deployment of a system that enables safe cooperation and interaction between human operators and industrial robots. The system uses dynamically switched safety zones to monitor human presence and adapt robot behavior accordingly. An overhead safety camera system identifies moving objects within each zone and produces warning and stop signals to regulate the robot's behavior.