Robotic System Comprising a Movable Robot — ABB Schweiz
US20220212344A1 · ABB Schweiz AG
- Patent number
- US20220212344A1
- Applicant
- ABB Schweiz AG
- Filing date
- 2022-03-23
- CPC class
- B25J9/16
- Pillar
- Muscle
The patent describes a robotic system with mobile robots that can move between different locations. Each location has a unique tag (e.g., barcode, QR, or RFID) that encodes or references a location-specific safety configuration. The robot uses an optical or RFID reader to detect the tag upon relocation, retrieves the appropriate safety parameters (speed limits, restricted zones, perimeter guards), and implements them to ensure safe operation while allowing efficient redeployment of robots across tasks.
Claims
Key claims cover a mobile robot with a reader for detecting location-specific tags or references; a controller that invalidates prior safety configs upon relocation, switches to a fallback safe mode, retrieves and applies new safety parameters from storage or the tag; methods for moving robots between locations while maintaining safety; and systems with multiple robots and locations using centralized or tag-based safety data.
Technical analysis
The invention enables flexible, location-aware safety management for mobile manipulators by integrating sensors (readers) with control logic. It addresses the challenge of relocating robots without manual reconfiguration by automating safety profile switching via machine-readable tags. This reduces downtime and skilled labor needs, with fallback modes ensuring safety during transitions. CPC classifications focus on program-controlled manipulators and safety/monitoring aspects.
Commercial impact
Supports scalable deployment of collaborative or industrial robots in dynamic environments like factories or warehouses, reducing setup costs and enabling shared robot fleets. Relevant for ABB's robotics portfolio in flexible automation, potentially lowering barriers to mobile robot adoption in SMEs by simplifying safety compliance.
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