TWI564128B - Collision-avoidance detecting device, corresponding control method and applicable robotic arm thereof - Google Patents

Description

Anti-collision detecting device, corresponding control method and robot arm suitable for the same

The invention relates to an anti-collision detecting device, a corresponding control method and a robot arm suitable for the same. Specifically, in particular, a non-contact type collision avoidance detecting device.

In today's society, with the development of industry and the rapid advancement of science and technology, the automation technology system is widely used in the modern manufacturing industry, and gradually replaces manual labor with machinery and equipment; thus, in modern factories, often In the factory stage of loading, processing and unloading, corresponding automation equipment is provided instead of manpower for automatic operation, such as robotic arm or other similar equipment, which reduces the labor required for production and greatly improves the modern factory. Production efficiency.

However, during the operation of the robot arm, there may be people or other objects in its working range. In order to avoid injuries or product defects caused by collisions between personnel and robotic arm, there are two types of existing safety devices: one is achieved by means of Force Limited, the principle is to use when the robot arm or machine collides with the object. At the same time, the current of the motor will increase. When the machine controller detects that the current exceeds the limit, it will stop the operation of the machine and achieve the protection function. However, this method achieves protection by using a contact type and using a force to reach a limit. When it collides with the weak part of the human body, it will cause accidental injury and production. At the same time as the collision, the product may have been embarrassing.

Second, it is achieved by means of a pressure sensor (Pressure Sensor). The principle is that the surface of the machine is covered with a pressure sensor. When the machine collides with a person or an object, the pressure sensor of the machine will send a signal to the machine controller, which will stop the operation of the machine and achieve the protection function. However, this method must be filled with thousands of sensors on the machine. In addition to increasing the operating weight of the machine, it is very difficult to assemble the sensor on a multi-surface machine. Each sensor must be controlled. The connection of the device causes a waste of a large amount of wires, and a large number of sensors also increase the cost. In addition, this sensing method is also contact type, and thus has the aforementioned problems to be overcome.

In view of this, it is an object of the present invention to provide a non-contact sensing method that can operate without touching the sensing unit, and can reduce damage to personnel and products when the mechanical arm is collided. In addition, due to its low manufacturing cost, it can also be imported into larger machines.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an anti-collision detecting device, which is applicable to a robot arm having a predetermined moving path. The anti-collision detecting device includes a first sensing unit and a control unit. The first sensing unit is a non-contact sensing unit disposed on the side of the mechanical arm facing the preset moving path; the control unit is coupled to the first sensing unit and the robot arm.

The control unit changes the preset action of the robot arm when the first sensing unit detects that an object enters the preset movement path.

In an embodiment, when the first sensing unit detects that the object enters the preset moving path of the robot arm and the object is less than a first distance from the first sensing unit, the control unit controls The robotic arm performs a first action change.

In another embodiment, the anti-collision detecting device further includes a second sensing unit disposed on a side of the mechanical arm facing the preset moving path, wherein the sensing distance of the second sensing unit is greater than the first The sensing distance of a sensing unit is long. The control unit controls the robot arm when the second sensing unit detects that the object enters the preset moving path of the robot arm and the object is less than a second distance from the second sensing unit. A second action changes. In this embodiment, the second action change is different from the first action change.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for controlling collision avoidance detection, which is applicable to the foregoing collision avoidance detecting device. The control method includes the following steps: (S1) detecting whether the object is in a preset movement of the robot arm (S2) if the detection result is yes, detecting whether the object and the second sensing unit are smaller than the second distance; (S3) if the detection result is yes, the robot arm performs the The second action changes; (S4) detecting whether the object and the first sensing unit are smaller than the first distance; and (S5) if the detection result is yes, the robot arm performs the first action change.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for controlling collision avoidance detection, which is applicable to the foregoing collision avoidance detecting device. The control method includes the following steps: (S11) detecting whether the object and the second sensing unit are smaller than The second distance; (S12) if the detection result is yes, the robot arm performs the second motion change; (S13) detecting whether the object and the first sensing unit are smaller than the first distance; S14) If the detection result is YES, the robot arm performs the first motion change.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a robot arm including an arm body, a first sensing unit, and a control unit. The arm body has a predetermined moving path; the first sensing unit is a non-contact sensing unit disposed on the side of the arm body facing the preset moving path; the control unit is coupled to the first sensing unit And the body of the arm.

The control unit changes the preset action of the arm body when the first sensing unit detects that an object enters the preset moving path.

In an embodiment, when the first sensing unit detects that the object enters the preset moving path of the arm body and the object is less than a first distance from the first sensing unit, the control unit controls The arm body performs a first action change.

In another embodiment, the robot arm further includes a second sensing unit disposed on the side of the arm body facing the preset moving path, wherein the sensing distance of the second sensing unit is greater than the first sensing The sensing distance of the unit is long.

The control unit controls the arm body when the second sensing unit detects that the object enters the preset moving path of the arm body and the object is less than a second distance from the second sensing unit. A second action change, and the second action change is different from the first action change.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention proposes an "anti-collision detecting device, a corresponding control method and a robot arm suitable for the same", which are sensed by a non-contact sensing method, and are taken when the machine has not touched the object. Precaution. In addition, the sensing unit is flexible and can be placed anywhere in the machine, and the manufacturing method is simple, and the manufacturing cost can also be reduced.

The advantages and spirit of the present invention can be further understood from the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

11‧‧‧First sensing unit

12‧‧‧Second sensing unit

21‧‧‧ Robotic arm

31‧‧‧Connected media

4‧‧‧ Robotic arm

41‧‧‧arm body

42‧‧‧First sensing unit

43‧‧‧Second sensing unit

411‧‧‧Forearm

412‧‧‧ shaft

413‧‧‧ long arm

414‧‧‧ short arm

415‧‧‧Base

C‧‧‧Control unit

D1‧‧‧first distance

D2‧‧‧Second distance

L1~L8‧‧‧Sensing line

X‧‧‧ objects

1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of an anti-collision detecting device of the present invention.

Figure 1B is a block diagram of the embodiment of Figure 1A.

Figure 1C is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of Figure 1A.

2A is a side view of an embodiment of the collision avoidance detecting device of the present invention.

2B is a top view of another embodiment of the collision avoidance detecting device of the present invention.

2C is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a first sensing unit of the present invention.

2D is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a first sensing unit of the present invention.

3A is a perspective view of another embodiment of the collision avoidance detecting device of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a first sensing unit and a second sensing unit according to the present invention.

3C is a side view of an embodiment of the collision avoidance detecting device of the present invention.

3D is a top view of another embodiment of the collision avoidance detecting device of the present invention.

4 is a flow chart of an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a flow chart of another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the robot arm of the present invention.

In the following, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed in the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of clarity, the details of the invention are described in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details are not intended to limit the invention. In addition, some of the known structures and elements are illustrated in the drawings in a simplified schematic representation.

It should be noted that the anti-collision detection device provided by the present invention can be applied to a robot arm, a special machine, a machine tool, etc., but is not limited thereto. As long as there is a need for collision detection, it can be introduced into the design of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the anti-collision detecting device of the present invention is preferably applied to a robot arm 21, such as a robot arm on a processing machine, an engineering robot arm, or an electronic device. Robotic arm or other similar power machine. The anti-collision detection device preferably includes a first sensing unit 11 and a control unit C. The control unit C is coupled to the first sensing unit 11 and the robot arm 21 to transmit signals. The first sensing unit 11 is preferably a non-contact sensing unit. In this embodiment, the first sensing unit 11 is a projected capacitive structure, and the sensing lines can be formed by a grid or a linear interlaced structure. Therefore, it has the characteristics of single positioning point and multi-point sensing. In this embodiment, the first sensing unit 11 can be made in a soft board manner to make it flexible, and since the projected capacitor structure has the characteristics of a single positioning point, the implementation in a soft board manner does not affect the Positioning accuracy.

The first sensing unit 11 can be attached or wrapped to any position of the robot arm 21, and because of its flexibility, it can be applied even when the surface of the robot arm 21 is non-planar.

It should be noted that since the first sensing unit is a projected capacitive structure, when the surface of the mechanical arm is a non-conductive material, it can be directly attached or covered. However, when the surface of the robot arm is made of a conductive material, in order to reduce the short circuit, it is preferable to provide a non-conductive connection medium between the robot arm and the first sensing unit. As shown in FIG. 1C, a connecting medium 31 is interposed between the mechanical arm 21 and the first sensing unit 11, and the connecting medium 31 is not electrically conductive, such as foam, but is not limited thereto. Moreover, the connection medium 31 and the mechanical arm 21 and the first sensing unit 11 can be fixed by an adhesive layer (for example, an adhesive, a double-sided tape, or the like). In other implementations, a protective lacquer may be applied to the outer surface of the first sensing unit 11, which has an aesthetic effect in addition to the protective function, but is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the robot arm 21 has a preset moving path. The preset moving path is preferably set according to its working purpose and sequence, and can be written to the control unit by an engineer or a related technician in advance. In this embodiment, the movement in the downward direction is taken as an example, but is not limited thereto. The first sensing unit 11 is preferably disposed on a side of the mechanical arm 21 facing the preset moving path. The first sensing unit 11 of the embodiment is in a wrapped state, that is, one circle around the mechanical arm 21 Annular distribution; of course, in different embodiments, it is of course also possible to attach only in a small area. As shown in FIG. 2A, when the first sensing unit 11 senses that an object X (for example, a worker or a limb thereof) appears on the preset moving path, the first sensing unit 11 transmits the sensing signal to the control unit. The control unit will issue an instruction to the robot arm to change the preset action. It is to be noted that the control unit of the embodiment may be present on the single flexible board at the same time as the first sensing unit 11, or may be externally connected from the flexible board without particular limitation.

In this embodiment, in particular, due to the characteristics of the projected capacitor structure, the object X does not need to touch the first sensing unit to generate an action, and therefore, when the object X appears on the preset moving path and the distance is When the sensing unit 11 is smaller than the first distance d1, the control unit issues an instruction to the robot arm 21 to perform the first motion change. The first motion change preferably includes, but is not limited to, disengaging the robotic arm from the original predetermined movement path, or maintaining the original predetermined path but changing the speed or direction. In this embodiment, the first action change is preferably that the mechanical arm 21 stops operating, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the dodging action or the deceleration action may also be designed. It should be noted that the first distance d1 of the embodiment is preferably less than 2 cm.

In addition, the embodiment of FIG. 2B is mainly taken as an example of moving in the left and right direction, and the sensing and actuation manners are the same as the embodiment of FIG. 2A, and thus are not described herein. Only when the setting of the first motion change is performed, different settings may be adopted according to the difference of the preset movement path, the surrounding environment condition, the moving direction of the object X, the mechanism design of the robot arm or the difference of the bearing elements. For example, if the moving direction of the object X is perpendicular to the preset moving path, the first motion change may be set to stop, and wait for the object X to pass before continuing the action; if the moving direction of the object X is parallel to the preset moving path, the first action change Changes may need to be set to dodge to avoid being chased.

The sensing manner of the first sensing unit 11 of the present invention can be further explained as follows. For example, as shown in FIG. 2C, the sensing lines of the first sensing unit 11 can be distinguished, and the sensing lines L1 L L8 are taken as an example. When the mechanical arm moves in the first direction, the first sensing unit can be transmitted. The sensing lines L1, L2, L5 and L6 on the 11 are sensed, and when an object is sensed, the sensing signal is transmitted to the control unit and subsequent actions are performed. Conversely, if the robot arm moves in the opposite direction of the first direction, sensing is performed with the sensing lines L3, L4, L7, and L8.

Moreover, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2D, the sensing lines of the first sensing unit 11 can be divided into L1~L8, and when the mechanical arm moves in the second direction, the feeling of the first sensing unit 11 can be transmitted. The measuring lines L1, L2, L3 and L4 are sensed, and when an object is sensed, the sensing signal is transmitted to the control unit and subsequent actions are performed. Conversely, if the robot arm moves in the opposite direction to the second direction, sensing is performed with the sensing lines L5, L6, L7, and L8.

For another embodiment of the present invention, please refer to FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B. As shown in FIG. 3A, the anti-collision detecting device further includes a second sensing unit 12, which is also coupled to the control unit, and the position thereof can also be disposed on the side of the robot arm 21 facing the preset moving path, but limit. It should be noted that the second sensing unit 12 is preferably a sensor that is longer than the first sensing unit 11 , such as ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, and the like, but is not limited thereto. Only the second sensing unit 12 is not flexible, so it is preferably arranged in a point setting manner, which is hereby described. As shown in FIG. 3B, the sensing distance of the first sensing unit 11 (ie, the first distance d1) is different from the sensing distance of the second sensing unit 12 (ie, the second distance d2). The first distance d1 is smaller than the second distance d2.

Referring to FIG. 3C , the mechanical arm 21 has a predetermined moving path. In the embodiment, the upper and lower directions are moved as an example. The second sensing unit 12 is preferably disposed on the mechanical arm 21 and faces the preset. Moving on one side of the path, when the second sensing unit 12 senses that an object X (for example, a worker) appears on the preset moving path, the second sensing unit 12 transmits the sensing signal to the control unit, and the control unit An instruction is issued to the robot arm to change the preset action.

In this embodiment, when the object X appears on the preset moving path and the second sensing unit 11 is smaller than the second distance d2, the control unit issues an instruction to the robot arm 21 to perform a second action change, wherein the second action The change is not the same as the first action change of the previous embodiment. The second motion change is preferably a deceleration operation of the mechanical arm 21, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the dodging action may also be designed. It should be noted that the second distance d2 is preferably 1.5 to 2 meters.

Similarly, the embodiment of FIG. 3D is exemplified by moving in the left and right direction, and the sensing and actuation manners are the same as those in the embodiment of FIG. 3C, and thus are not described herein.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a control method applicable to the above-described collision avoidance detecting device. Referring to FIG. 4, the method includes the following steps: (S1) detecting whether the object is on a preset moving path of the robot arm; (S2) detecting the object and the second if the detection result is yes Whether the sensing unit is smaller than the second distance; (S3) if the detection result is yes, the robot arm performs the second motion change; (S4) detecting whether the object and the first sensing unit are smaller than the first a distance; and (S5) if the detection result is YES, the robot arm performs the first motion change. The component configuration and its operation principle are the same as those in the foregoing embodiment, and will not be further described herein. It is worth mentioning that if the steps (S2) and (S3) are regarded as one group, the steps (S4) and (S5) are regarded as one group, and the two sets of sequences may be reversed or simultaneously performed, and hereby explained.

Another embodiment of the present invention is also applicable to the above-described collision avoidance detecting device. Referring to FIG. 5, the method includes the following steps: (S11) detecting whether the object and the second sensing unit are smaller than the second distance; (S12) if the detection result is yes, the robot arm performs the first Second action change (S13) detecting whether the object and the first sensing unit are smaller than the first distance; and (S14) if the detection result is yes, the robot arm performs the first motion change. Similarly, the order of steps (S11), (S12) and steps (S13), (S14) may be reversed or performed simultaneously.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a robotic arm. As shown in FIG. 6, the robot arm 4 includes an arm body 41, a first sensing unit 42, a second sensing unit 43, and a control unit (not shown). The arm body 41 preferably includes a forearm 411, a rotating shaft 412, a long arm 413, a short arm 414, and a base 415. The rear end of the forearm 411 and the front end of the long arm 413 are commonly connected to the rotating shaft 412, so that the front arm 411 can swing in the up and down direction; the rear end of the long arm 413 is clamped in the short arm 414, thereby further moving the front arm 411 in the front and rear direction; The short arm 414 is coupled to the base 415, and the base 415 is rotatable to enable the arm body 41 to operate 360 degrees.

The first sensing unit 42 and the second sensing unit 43 are disposed on one side of the arm body 41 facing the preset path. In this embodiment, the first sensing unit 42 is small and multi-chip. Way of layout, but not limited to this. Similarly, the operation principle, the sensing characteristic, and the control method are the same as those in the foregoing embodiment, and are not described herein.

Compared with the prior art, the "anti-collision detecting device and its control method" proposed by the present invention utilizes a non-contact sensing method for sensing, and takes precautionary measures when the machine has not touched the object. In addition, the sensing unit is flexible and can be placed anywhere in the machine, and the manufacturing method is simple, and the manufacturing cost can also be reduced.

The features and spirits of the present invention are intended to be more apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments described herein. Various changes and retouchings can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the scope of the appended patent application. The standard is subject to change.

11‧‧‧First sensing unit

21‧‧‧ Robotic arm

Claims (11)

An anti-collision detecting device is applicable to a robot arm having a predetermined moving path. The anti-collision detecting device comprises: a first sensing unit, which is a non-contact sensing unit, disposed on The mechanical arm is disposed on one side of the preset moving path, wherein the first sensing unit and the robot arm have a connecting medium, and the connecting medium is not electrically conductive; and a control unit is coupled to the first The sensing unit and the robot arm, wherein when the first sensing unit detects that an object enters the preset moving path, the control unit changes a preset action of the robot arm. The anti-collision detecting device of claim 1, wherein the first sensing unit is a projected capacitor structure. The anti-collision detecting device of claim 1, when the first sensing unit detects that the object enters the preset moving path of the robot arm and the object is less than the first sensing unit At a distance, the control unit controls the robot arm to perform a first motion change. The anti-collision detecting device of claim 3, further comprising a second sensing unit disposed on a side of the mechanical arm facing the preset moving path, wherein the sensing distance of the second sensing unit is The sensing distance of the first sensing unit is long. The anti-collision detecting device of claim 4, when the second sensing unit detects that the object enters the preset moving path of the robot arm and the object is less than the second sensing unit At two distances, the control unit controls the robot arm to perform a second motion change. The anti-collision detecting device of claim 1, wherein the first sensing unit is made of a flexible material. A mechanical arm includes: an arm body having a predetermined moving path; a first sensing unit is a non-contact sensing unit disposed on a side of the arm body facing the preset moving path, wherein The first sensing unit and the mechanical arm have a connection medium, and the connection medium is not electrically conductive; and a control unit is coupled to the first sensing unit and the arm body, wherein when the first When the sensing unit detects that an object enters the preset moving path, the control unit changes the preset action of the arm body. The robot arm of claim 7, when the first sensing unit detects that the object enters the preset moving path of the arm body and the object is less than a first distance from the first sensing unit The control unit controls the arm body to perform a first motion change. The robot arm of claim 8, further comprising a second sensing unit disposed on the side of the arm body facing the preset moving path, wherein the sensing distance of the second sensing unit is greater than the first feeling The sensing distance of the measuring unit is long. The robot arm of claim 9, when the second sensing unit detects that the object enters the preset moving path of the arm body and the object is less than a second distance from the second sensing unit The control unit controls the arm body to perform a second motion change, and the second motion change is different from the first motion change. The robot arm of claim 7, wherein the first sensing unit is made of a flexible material.