Emergency-Stop Assignment by Effective Range in Robot Safety Circuits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automation systems face complexity in assigning emergency-stop functionality between emergency-stop devices and robot systems, making it difficult to integrate new system components into safety circuits efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A method that initializes an emergency-stop device into a safety circuit of a robot system by retrieving data on spatial localization and configuration from a digital process model, allowing manual or automatic assignment to selected ranges of effectiveness, enabling easy and flexible integration of emergency-stop devices into the safety circuit of specific robot systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If emergency-stop devices are manually integrated into safety circuits of robot systems, then integration flexibility is improved, but device complexity and integration time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The emergency-stop device automatically determines its own integration target by receiving its own device ID and comparing it with the robot system's effective range. The device autonomously queries the digital process model, matches its ID against the range, and integrates itself without manual configuration, making the system self-configuring and eliminating complex manual integration procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The digital process model pre-stores the effective ranges and device IDs of all robot systems before the emergency-stop devices are activated. This preliminary preparation of configuration data allows devices to automatically integrate by simply querying the pre-existing model, eliminating the need for complex real-time configuration and reducing integration complexity
2Reliability
If emergency-stop devices are integrated into safety circuits, then safety reliability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each emergency-stop device autonomously determines which robot system's safety circuit to integrate into by automatically querying the digital process model with its own device ID. The device self-configures its integration target without requiring complex system-wide configuration procedures, thereby improving safety reliability while minimizing the addition of system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The digital process model serves multiple functions: it stores robot system configuration data, defines effective ranges, and acts as the matching database for emergency-stop device integration. This multi-functional use of a single centralized model reduces overall system complexity by consolidating multiple configuration functions into one universal repository
3Measurement precision
If manual assignment of emergency-stop devices is performed, then assignment accuracy is improved, but integration time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The emergency-stop device automatically performs the assignment process by receiving its own device ID, querying the digital process model, and autonomously determining which robot system's effective range contains its ID. This self-assignment mechanism achieves 100% assignment accuracy through automated ID matching while reducing integration time from manual procedures to automatic execution
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the emergency-stop device queries the digital process model with its device ID, receives matching results indicating which robot system's effective range contains the ID, and automatically integrates into that system. This closed-loop feedback ensures accurate assignment while eliminating manual intervention time
Data Source
AI summary
A method and an automation system for assigning an emergency-stop device to at least one robot system that includes at least one robot and/or machine, wherein the assigned robot system is stopped upon actuation of the emergency-stop device. The assignment of the emergency-stop device can be removed from a first assigned robot system and assigned to a second robot system, e.g., if the emergency-stop device is moved between the robot systems (hand-held operating apparatus vehicle. In the method, the emergency-stop device is assigned to a selected range of effectiveness of a robot system, and the emergency-stop device is integrated into the relevant safety circuit of that robot system which is within the selected range of effectiveness.