Abstract
AbstractThe planning and integration of production systems with a direct human-robot collaboration (HRC) is still associated with various technical challenges. This applies especially to the realization of the operation methods speed and separation monitoring (SSM) as well as power and force limiting (PFL). Due to the limited consideration of the human motion behaviour, the required dynamic separation distance in SSM is frequently oversized in practice. The main consequences are wasted space as well as cycle time and performance losses within the corresponding HRC application. In PFL a physical contact between the operator and robot is permissible, taking into account specified biomechanical thresholds. However, there is still a lack of suitable use-cases since the maximum permissible speeds are on a very low level. Moreover some thresholds regarding the transient contact case are still non-applicable for critical body areas (e.g. temple, middle of forehead). The study of this paper is related to a kinematic state determination of the human operator within a new hybrid collaborative operation. In this method the SSM type is extended regarding the description of the operator and coupled with the two-body contact model of the PFL. Using a planning and simulation tool for HRC, the kinematic states of different body regions are derived from an integrated and parameterized digital human model. Afterwards, these body regions are mapped to the characteristic body areas of the ISO/TS 15066, whereby the resulting information will be applied in an adaptive robot speed control. The performance of the presented concept will be evaluated using an exemplary simulated HRC scenario.
Highlights
In order to integrate and certify a direct human-robot collaboration (HRC), four types of operations are permissible according to [1, 2]
Thereby, the permissible robot speeds depend on the affected characteristic body areas
If no exact determination of these body areas can be performed during the process, the practical implementation of power and force limiting (PFL) usually avoids larger translatory robot motions at the height of the human head and limitations of the maximum Cartesian speed to 250 mm/s by a time consuming path planning
Summary
In order to integrate and certify a direct human-robot collaboration (HRC), four types of operations are permissible according to [1, 2]. The paper at hand deals with the research on the collaborative operations speed and separation monitoring (SSM) as well as power and force limiting (PFL). If no exact determination of these body areas can be performed during the process, the practical implementation of PFL usually avoids larger translatory robot motions at the height of the human head and limitations of the maximum Cartesian speed to 250 mm/s by a time consuming path planning. In both types of operations the mentioned circumstances can lead to cycle time losses and wasted space in the respective production system
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