With increasing instances of people and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), also called industrial mobile robots (IMRs), working in the same area, multiple inherent safety risks must be addressed. The safe and efficient operation of AMRs is too important to rely on a single sensor technology. Multi-sensor fusion, or simply "sensor fusion," combines technologies like laser range finding (LIDAR), cameras, ultrasonic sensors, lasers obstacle sensors, and radio frequency identification (RFID) to support a range of AMR functions, including navigation, path planning, collision avoidance, inventory management, and logistics support. Senor fusion
also encompasses alerting nearby people to the presence of the AMR. To address the need for the safe and efficient operation of AMRs, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), formerly the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), are developing the ANSI/ A3 R15.08 series of standards. R15.08-1 and R15.08-2 have been released, focusing on basic safety requirements and integrating AMRs into a site. R15.08-3 is currently under development and will expand the safety requirements for AMRs, including more detailed recommendations for using sensor fusion.
In anticipation of R15.08-3, this article reviews some of today's best practices related to safety and sensor fusion in AMRs, beginning with a brief overview of functional safety requirements currently used with AMRs, including generic industrial safety standards like IEC 61508, ISO 13849 and IEC 62061, and the safety requirements for sensing human presence like IEC 61496 and IEC 62998. It then presents a typical AMR design detailing the numerous sensor technologies, presents representative devices, and looks at how they support functions like navigation, path planning, localization, collision avoidance, and inventory management/ logistics support.
we get technical
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