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An industrial security system for human-robot coexistence

Philip Long (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA)
Christine Chevallereauo (Laboratoire des sciences du numérique de Nantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Nantes, France)
Damien Chablat (Laboratoire des sciences du numérique de Nantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Nantes, France)
Alexis Girin (Department of Robotics and Cobotics, Institut de Recherche Technologique Jules Verne, Bouguenais, France)

Industrial Robot

ISSN: 0143-991x

Article publication date: 13 December 2017

Issue publication date: 9 April 2018

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Abstract

Purpose

The installation of industrial robots requires security barriers, a costly, time-consuming exercise. Collaborative robots may offer a solution; however, these systems only comply with safety standards if operating at reduced speeds. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of a novel security system that allows human–robot coexistence while permitting the robot to execute much of its task at nominal speed.

Design/methodology/approach

The security system is defined by three modes: a nominal mode, a coexistence mode and a gravity compensation mode. Mode transition is triggered by three lasers, two of which are mechanically linked to the robot. These scanners create a dynamic envelope around the robot and allow the detection of operator presence or environmental changes. To avoid velocity discontinuities between transitions, the authors propose a novel time scaling method.

Findings

The paper describes the system’s mechanical, software and control architecture. The system is demonstrated experimentally on a collaborative robot and is compared with the performance of a state-of-art security system. Both a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the new system is carried out.

Practical implications

The mode transition method is easily implemented, requires little computing power and leaves the trajectories unchanged. As velocity discontinuities are avoided, motor wear is reduced. The execution time is substantially less than a commercial alternative. These advantages can lead to economic benefits in high-volume manufacturing environments.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a novel system that is based on industrial material but can generate dynamic safety zones for a collaborative robot.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was carried out in the framework of the FAST project, a collaboration between IRT Jules Verne, CETIM, CNRS, Europe Technologies and Renault. The authors would like to thank Dominique Graille (Renault) for his leadership and guidance throughout this project and Sylvain Acoulon (CETIM) for his valuable advice regarding industrial robot safety requirements.

Citation

Long, P., Chevallereau, C., Chablat, D. and Girin, A. (2018), "An industrial security system for human-robot coexistence", Industrial Robot, Vol. 45 No. 2, pp. 220-226. https://doi.org/10.1108/IR-09-2017-0165

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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