Patent ID: 11919173
Assignee: VEO ROBOTICS, INC.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B

Claim 6:
7. A method of enforcing safe operation of machinery performing an activity in a three-dimensional (3D) workspace, the method comprising the steps of:
computationally generating a 3D spatial representation of the workspace;
identifying a computational representation of a 3D region of the workspace corresponding to (i) space occupied or potentially occupied by a human within the workspace augmented by a 3D envelope around the human corresponding to anticipated movements of the human within the workspace during performance of the specified task and (ii) a protective separation distance;
updating the computational representation at intervals no greater than a worst-case time required to bring the machinery to a safe state or a stopping time of the machinery in a direction toward the 3D envelope around the human;
computationally generating a motion plan comprising a plurality of different trajectories of the machinery to perform the task;
assigning a cost value to each of the trajectories based at least in part on relative likelihood among trajectories that human movement within the workspace will alter the 3D region during execution of the trajectory;
selecting one of the trajectories based at least in part on the cost values assigned to the trajectories; and
causing the machinery to execute the selected trajectory and perform the specified task without entering the 3D region and/or violating the protective separation distance.