Cooperation Zone Safeguarding Using Sequential Protected Fields
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safeguarding systems for machines, particularly in cooperation zones where workers and machines interact, struggle to reliably detect when a person has left the area, leading to manual restarts and potential safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A method and monitoring device that utilize a sequence of optoelectronic sensors to create protected fields on both the worker and machine sides, allowing for sequential monitoring and permitting only permitted combinations of intrusions to enable safe machine operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional safeguarding systems use fences and light grids to block access zones, then safety is improved by preventing unauthorized entry, but productivity deteriorates due to manual restart requirements and operational interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The safeguarding system transitions from a static blocked state to a dynamic state that can automatically release and restart machine operation. The system dynamically evaluates the sequence of protected field intrusions and releases to determine when it is safe to automatically restart the machine, eliminating the need for manual intervention and maintaining operational continuity while preserving safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the sequence of protected field intrusions and releases. The evaluation unit processes this feedback information to automatically determine when the cooperation zone is clear and safe for machine restart, enabling automatic operation resumption without manual intervention and improving productivity while maintaining safety standards.
2Measurement precision
If multiple protected fields are monitored simultaneously to cover the entire zone, then measurement precision is improved by detecting all intrusions, but device complexity increases due to calculation requirements and limited parallel field capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The monitored zone is segmented into multiple protected fields arranged in sequences, with each field monitored independently. This segmentation allows the system to achieve comprehensive coverage and high detection precision by evaluating intrusion sequences across multiple fields, while the modular structure helps manage system complexity through organized, sequential processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors more protected fields than the minimum required for basic safety, creating overlapping sequences that provide redundant detection coverage. This excessive monitoring action ensures high measurement precision by detecting intrusions from multiple angles and sequences, while the structured evaluation methodology keeps device complexity manageable through systematic processing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a person enters the safeguarded zone for supporting worksteps, then adaptability is improved by allowing necessary operational support, but safety deteriorates due to inability to reliably detect when the person has left
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by monitoring a sequence of protected fields that the person must traverse to enter and leave the cooperation zone. By evaluating the complete sequence of intrusions and releases across multiple fields, the system reliably detects when the person has fully exited the zone, enabling automatic safe restart while maintaining operational flexibility for necessary supporting worksteps.
4Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If light grids are used to detect zone entry, then detection capability is improved by recognizing when a person enters, but measurement precision deteriorates because the system cannot determine which side the person is on after passing through
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds another dimension to detection by arranging protected fields in sequences extending in multiple directions from the cooperation zone. Instead of a single light grid that only detects passage through one plane, multiple protected fields create a three-dimensional monitoring network that can determine the side and sequence of intrusions, providing accurate position determination and enabling reliable detection of when the zone is truly clear.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach provides collaborative safety with reduced complexity and cost, allowing for automatic restarts and enhanced safety levels by ensuring that the worker and machine maintain safe distances during operation.
Implementation Method 1
A plurality of protected fields are monitored for protected field intrusions by at least one optoelectronic sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A method for a contactless safeguarding at a cooperation zone of a machine is provided wherein an access zone for a worker is arranged at a first side of the cooperation zone and a working zone of the machine is arranged at a second side, wherein a plurality of protected fields configured in the environment of the cooperation zone are monitored for protected field intrusions by at least one optoelectronic sensor and at least two of the protected fields 38) are arranged in a first sequence starting from the first side such that a worker sequentially intrudes into these protected fields when approaching the cooperation zone, and wherein the protected field intrusions are evaluated to safeguard the machine in the case of an unpermitted combination of protected field intrusions. In this respect, at least two of the protected fields are arranged in a second sequence starting from the second side such that the machine sequentially intrudes in these protected fields when approaching the cooperation zone.