Planning operations to avoid collisions for simultaneous multi-robot work areas. (Potentially an in-depth walkthrough?)
Manual methods of mitigating collisions for multi-robot simultaneous.
Procedure on how to rearrange and change path directions to avoid multi-robot collisions.
Rearrange → Device Side
Timing
Use the scheduler to
Change the sequence of operations
Move operations from one robot to another
Change path direction
A dome shaped part requires edge following operations on five contours.
These operations will be distributed between two separate robots and processed simultaneously.
(image)
In some cases, the default robot trajectories for the multiple robots may result in collisions between the robots.
Move start point
Operations 1 and 2 are processed by different robots, and there is a collision between the toolings of the robots.
The proximity of the entry/exit points on the operations causes a collision.
There are multiple ways to solve this issue in Robotmaster:
Add a wait time to one of the operations, so that the end-of-arm toolings aren’t in that space at the same time.
Move the entry/exit point on one of the profiles further away.
Change the sequence of operations for one of the robots.
Assign certain operations to different robots
Change cut direction
Notes:
Rearranging operations in the Device > Operations pane.
Change sequence of operations within a given robot
Move operations from one robot to another
Change Path Directions → Task Side
Change path direction
Change start point of path
Further reading
What about velocities, accelerations, and real-world deviation from programmed paths?
Use safety envelopes to give “buffer” for collisions, add them as intereference groups in the cell.
Do multiple robot cells communicate with one another? Are they equipped with sensors to detect adjacent robot position?
Spatial
If you plan a progam so that the robots never occupy the same space at any point in time, this is the safest with least chance of collision.
Temporal
If two robots must occupy the same space due to the required trajectories, timing the operations is critical for minimizing risk of collisions.
How much time to leave between operations' intersections in space? 1 second, 30 seconds?
What is the typical difference between ideal vs actual speed due to acceleration, payload, and whatever else might factor in?