Robotic devices with safety retention suits for reducing ballistic risks

Number: 11193736
Published: 2021-12-07
Filed: 2019-09-04
Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Inventors: Pope; Morgan T., Orr; Brian, Leboeuf; Maxime
CPC: F41H5/0485; F41H5/0478
Verdict: Medium Hardware
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

Robotic safety-retention suit hardware for ballistic-risk reduction (granted).

Abstract

A robot system designed to provide non-invasive mitigation of ballistic safety risks. The robot system includes a robotic device and a safety retention suit, which covers or encloses the movable components or parts of the robotic device. The safety retention suit is formed of a fabric sheet of material chosen, in part, for its flexibility as well as durability to allow the part or the component of the robot enclosed within the suit to move freely. The safety retention suit includes one-to-many strands, threads, or cables of a material chosen to move with the flexible material of the suit when the enclosed component of the robotic device is moving during standard operations. When a mechanical failure occurs, the cables of the suit stretch but, as an overall unit, do not break so as to retain any portions of the covered or enclosed robotic part within the suit.

Background

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Description (1) The present description relates, in general, to safe design and operation of animatronics and robots (or, more generally, “robotic devices”), and, more particularly, the description relates to a new non-invasive method (or system design) to reduce ballistic risks related to use of animatronics, robots, or any other robotic device with rapidly moving or heavy components. 2. Relevant Background (2) There are many situations and applications where robotic devices are positioned and operated in close proximity to humans. In one example, the presence of robots in the manufacturing environment has increased significantly in recent years, and these large robots often move very rapidly to perform their assigned work tasks with human technicians or workers in nearby spaces. In another example, animatronics and other robotic devices are provided in entertainment settings to perform for human audience members, and there is growing demand to enhance audience member's experiences (e.g., theme park visitors riding on a park ride being entertained by animatronics) by positioning robotic devices close to the humans observing their operations. In the near future, it is likely that robots will be present in many houses worldwide providing care to and performing service functions for residents of the houses.

As robots and humans continue to be in close proximity and begin to interact more frequently and in more settings, a number of safety concerns

Claims

1. A robot system adapted to mitigate ballistic risks, comprising: a robotic device comprising components with dynamic movements; and a safety retention suit comprising a body with one or more sections adapted to receive the components of the robotic device, wherein the one or more sections are formed of a fabric that is configured to stretch from an at-rest state when the robotic device perform operations to perform the dynamic movements, wherein the fabric is configured to dissipate energy from the components upon a mechanical failure of the robotic device causing decoupling of one of the components or release of a part from one of the components, and wherein the fabric comprises a layer of a flexible material and a plurality of cables of a strong material integrated into the layer of the flexible material, the strong material having a tensile strength greater than the flexible material. || 10. A robot system adapted to mitigate ballistic risks, comprising: a robotic device comprising components with dynamic movements; and a safety retention suit comprising a body with one or more sections adapted to receive the components of the robotic device, wherein the one or more sections are formed of a fabric that is configured to stretch from an at-rest state when the robotic device perform operations to perform the dynamic movements, and wherein the fabric is configured to dissipate energy from the components upon a mechanical failure of the robotic device causing decoupling of one of the components or release of a part from one of the components, and wherein the fabric comprises a pair of layers of a flexible material and further comprises a netting of cables, formed from a strong material having a tensile strength greater than the flexible material, sandwiched between the layers of the flexible material. || 15. A robot system adapted to mitigate ballistic risks, comprising: a robotic device comprising components with dynamic movements; and a safety retention suit comprising a body with one or more sections adapted to receive the components of the robotic device, wherein the one or more sections are formed of a fabric that is configured to stretch from an at-rest state when the robotic device perform operations to perform the dynamic movements, wherein the fabric is configured to dissipate energy from the components upon a mechanical failure of the robotic device causing decoupling of one of the components or release of a part from one of the components, and wherein the fabric of the sections or a seam between two of the one or more sections comprises a set of sacrificial fibers that fail under tensile load prior to other fibers in the fabric.