Industrial implementation of a path planning algorithm with dynamic obstacle avoidance for safe human-robot collaboration

Abstract

Industrial robots are programmable, controllable, and multifunction machines having superior movement capabilities compared to conventional manufacturing equip ment. They are commonly used in various production applications such as assembling, material handling, and machining. Due to their high production rate and ability to work in severe conditions, the usage rate of industrial robots has been increasing rapidly. Although a production line can be robotized considerably, existence of human operators is a significant factor in terms of efficiency. The idea of humans and robots coexisting in robotic manufacturing environments has increased the importance of personnel safety. Therefore, a concept called human-robot collaboration has emerged and expanded to the industrial applications. While developing systems for human-robot collaboration in industrial environments, some limitations are encountered. For instance, traditional industrial robots are generally programmed to follow predefined paths which makes it impossible to adapt the robots to changing environments. In this thesis, which is set out to come up with a solution to this adaptation problem, an industrial robotic system supporting human-robot collaboration with an ability to work in a changing environment is proposed. The system is composed of four main parts: an industrial pick and place process with a conveyor and an industrial robot, human information system with a projection, detection system with a laser scanner, and control and com munication components. The proposed system is realized, and experiments for testing the performance of the system are carried out. The results indicate that the response of the system is encouraging for safe human-robot collaboration in industry.