Safety Control of Industrial Robots Based on a Distributed Distance Sensor

TLDR

Human–robot interaction in industrial settings can enhance safety by actively controlling robots using exteroceptive sensor measurements, with onboard sensors offering advantages in deployment, calibration, and lack of occlusions. The paper presents a prototype distributed distance sensor for industrial robots and a control strategy that uses its outputs to assess danger levels and improve human safety. The prototype consists of a distributed distance sensor mounted on the robot, whose outputs feed a control strategy that evaluates danger levels to adjust robot behavior. Experiments on an ABB IRB140 robot demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed approach in a realistic scenario.

Abstract

In the field of human–robot interaction in industrial environments, the active control of robot based on exteroceptive sensors' measurements is a viable approach to the issue of safety enhancement. Among all possible solutions, onboard sensors have several advantages, in terms of ease of deployment and calibration, and absence of occlusions. In this paper, we present a prototype of a distributed distance sensor that can be mounted on an industrial robot. The sensor's outputs have been used as part of a newly conceived control strategy, aimed at improving human safety by means of assessing the level of danger induced by the robot. Several experiments on an ABB IRB140 industrial robot have been carried out, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed approach in a realistic scenario.