Fail-Safe Safety Control Using Smartphone Authentication Inputs

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing safety devices in machine safety technology lack flexibility and modular structure, and often require additional fail-safe components to ensure secure operation, which can complicate design and increase hardware requirements.

Innovation Solution

A safety device with a control and evaluation unit that utilizes a terminal device, such as a smartphone, for bidirectional data transmission and authentication, allowing user inputs to be evaluated in a fail-safe manner to activate security functions, thereby eliminating the need for additional fail-safe hardware and simplifying the device structure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional safety devices use additional fail-safe components to ensure secure operation, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefail-safetyVSAvoidhardware complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces traditional fail-safe mechanical and electronic components with a software-based authentication system running on a terminal device. The control and evaluation unit executes authentication software that verifies user credentials and device identities through bidirectional data transmission, eliminating the need for additional fail-safe hardware components while maintaining security requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If safety devices require additional fail-safe hardware components, then security function is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity functionVSAvoiddesign simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The control and evaluation unit serves multiple functions: it controls safety device operations, performs bidirectional data transmission for authentication, executes authentication software, and generates security functions. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated hardware components for each security function, simplifying the overall design and manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of operation

If safety devices use conventional terminal devices for user interaction, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to lack of fail-safe design

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser interface accessibilityVSAvoidfail-safety of terminal device
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements bidirectional data transmission between the terminal device and control unit, enabling continuous authentication and verification. The control unit receives authentication data from the terminal device, verifies it against stored credentials, and provides feedback through the authentication process. This feedback mechanism ensures that even though the terminal device itself is not fail-safe, the overall system maintains security through continuous verification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4400917A1Safety device and method for operating a safety device
Publication Date: 2024.07.17 EUCHNER GMBH & CO KG
  • EP4400917A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4400917A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4b
  • EP4400917A1 patent drawing

AI summary

The invention relates to a security device (1) and a method for operating a security device (1) with a security device (2), the components of which are monitored and controlled by a fail-safe control and evaluation unit (5). An end device is provided, and bidirectional data transmission (17) can be carried out between the end device and the security device (2) such that authentication data is transmitted from the end device to the security device (2). The end device is authenticated by fail-safe evaluation of the authentication data. A sequence of user inputs entered in the end device is transmitted to the security device (2), which is then reliably compared in the control and evaluation unit (5) with a target sequence of user inputs.In the control and evaluation unit (5), a safety function is only released or activated if the entered sequence of user inputs matches the target sequence.