US 12,403,607 B2
Method and system for monitoring a robot arrangement
Albrecht Hoene, Augsburg (DE); Elisabeth Schaertl, Leuchtenberg (DE); and Markus Wuensch, Augsburg (DE)
Assigned to KUKA AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, (DE); and KUKA Deutschland GmbH, (DE)
Appl. No. 17/606,284
Filed by KUKA AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, Augsburg (DE); and KUKA DEUTSCHLAND GMBH, Augsburg (DE)
PCT Filed Mar. 26, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/058451
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 25, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/216570, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 29, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2019 206 010.2 (DE), filed on Apr. 26, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0314454 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B25J 13/08 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 9/1697 (2013.01) [B25J 9/163 (2013.01); B25J 9/1653 (2013.01); B25J 13/087 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for monitoring a robot arrangement that includes at least one robot and a robot controller, the method comprising:
capturing optical signals from a plurality of signal sources with at least one sensor, wherein at least one of the plurality of signal sources or the at least one sensor is positioned on the robot arrangement;
determining with the robot controller a deviation of an actual spatial arrangement of the captured optical signals from a desired spatial arrangement of the signals; and
triggering by the robot controller a monitoring reaction of the at least one robot in response to the determined deviation exceeding a predetermined limit value;
wherein the monitoring reaction is at least one of:
producing at least one of an optical output, an acoustic output, or a haptic output, or
causing a change in a predefined movement of the robot arrangement;
wherein the desired spatial arrangement is determined on the basis of a determined position of the plurality of signal sources and the sensor to one another;
wherein the determined position of the plurality of signal sources and the sensor to one another is based on at least one of a kinematic model or an optical model; and
wherein determining the deviation comprises determining whether at least a predefined minimum number of signals from the desired arrangement are not present in the actual arrangement of the captured optical signals; and
the actual arrangement is determined by the at least one sensor based on comparing at least a first signal captured with emitted optical signals to at least a second signal captured without emitted optical signals.