Embedded Safety Interface for Restricted-State Material Testing

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional material testing systems often fail to comply with international safety standards and require costly off-the-shelf safety components, which can increase costs and reduce reliability due to external wiring and additional hardware.

Innovation Solution

Integration of a safety system within the material testing system using embedded machine state indicators, redundant monitoring, and direct hardware shutdown mechanisms, compliant with ISO 13849-1, to enhance operator safety and reduce costs by eliminating external safety components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If off-the-shelf safety components are used, then safety compliance is achieved, but system cost increases and reliability decreases due to external wiring and additional hardware

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety system reliabilityVSAvoidexternal wiring and additional hardware

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the safety system with the material testing system by integrating safety controllers, monitoring circuits, and shutdown mechanisms directly into the existing system architecture. This eliminates the need for separate off-the-shelf safety components and their associated external wiring, thereby improving reliability while reducing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The control system is designed to perform multiple functions: both material testing control and safety monitoring. The same processors and communication buses are used for both operational control and safety-critical functions, eliminating the need for dedicated external safety hardware and reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If off-the-shelf safety components are used, then safety compliance is achieved, but system cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety complianceVSAvoidsystem cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The safety system is combined with the material testing system's existing control architecture, eliminating the need to purchase and install separate off-the-shelf safety components. This integration approach reduces material costs, assembly costs, and maintenance costs while maintaining safety compliance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The material testing system's control system provides its own safety functions through integrated monitoring and shutdown capabilities, rather than requiring external safety components. The system serves its own safety needs using its existing processors, communication infrastructure, and control mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11726018B2Safety system interfaces and material testing systems including safety system interfaces

Publication Date: 2023.08.15 ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC

AI summary

An example material testing system includes: an actuator configured to control an operator-accessible component of the material testing system; and one or more processors configured to: control the actuator based on at least one of an operator command or a material testing process; determine, based on a plurality of inputs, a state of the material testing system from a plurality of predetermined states, the predetermined states comprising one or more unrestricted states and one or more restricted states; when the state of the material testing system is one of the restricted states, enforce a restriction on the actuator; and in response to completion of an action involving controlling the actuator, automatically set the state of the material testing system to one of the restricted states.