Hand-Held Machine Control With Visual Emergency Stop Range Indication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machine control systems face challenges in ensuring user convenience and safety, particularly due to errors or mishandling by operators, which can lead to critical situations, especially with hand-held terminals having a large radius of action or wireless connectivity, where the effectiveness of emergency stop actuation elements is unclear.
Innovation Solution
The method involves schematically representing the machine control system and emergency stop actuation ranges on a hand-held terminal display, combined with fail-safe lighting to unmistakably indicate the operational range of the emergency stop, using discrete or integral lighting means, such as LEDs, 7-segment displays, or dot-matrix displays, to prevent safety-critical situations and ensure accurate operator understanding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hand-held terminals with large radius of action or wireless connectivity are used, then user convenience and mobility are improved, but safety reliability deteriorates due to unclear emergency stop effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides visual feedback through lighting means that indicate the current operational status and emergency stop effectiveness. The display shows schematic representations of the machine control system with marked operational ranges, and lighting means provide real-time feedback on whether the emergency stop function is active and effective, allowing operators to confirm safety status before proceeding with operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The hand-held terminal acts as an intermediary device between the operator and the machine control system. It provides a user-friendly interface with display and lighting means that mediates the complex safety information, translating system status into clear visual indicators that help operators understand emergency stop effectiveness without directly interfacing with the complex control system.
2Ease of operation
If emergency stop actuation elements are made portable and wireless, then ease of operation is improved, but the clarity of emergency stop operational range signaling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses different lighting states and colors to indicate different operational ranges and emergency stop effectiveness levels. The lighting means can display different colors or illumination patterns to clearly distinguish between various operational zones and the extent of emergency stop coverage, providing intuitive visual information without requiring complex text or symbols.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a visual dimension to emergency stop information by using lighting means and display graphics. Instead of relying solely on text or symbolic representations, the operational range and emergency stop effectiveness are visualized spatially through lighting patterns and schematic displays, making the information more immediately comprehensible and reducing cognitive load.
3Ease of operation
If automated compatibility checks are implemented, then user convenience is improved, but safety against operator errors deteriorates due to inability to prevent critical situations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary compatibility checks automatically before allowing operation, but also requires preliminary operator verification through visual confirmation of emergency stop effectiveness. The lighting means and display provide preliminary information about system status and operational ranges before the operator begins work, allowing them to verify safety conditions in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides self-service safety verification through its display and lighting means. The operator can independently verify the emergency stop effectiveness and operational range by observing the visual indicators on the hand-held terminal, without requiring external verification or complex procedures. The system serves itself by providing all necessary safety information directly to the operator.
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 significantly reduces the risk of safety risks by providing clear and unambiguous signaling of emergency stop operational ranges, minimizing incorrect assessments and ensuring high reliability in emergency stop functionality, thus enhancing user safety and system reliability.
Implementation Method 1
selective, preferably fail-safe controlling of at least one lighting means at the hand-held terminal, which at least one lighting means may, for example, be positioned in the peripheral region or in an edge region of the display
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a machine control system and a corresponding machine control system uses a portable hand-held terminal for functionally influencing at least one machine controller. The terminal includes at least one emergency stop actuation element for terminating potentially dangerous machine operations. The controller and/or the terminal is adapted for indicating a representation of the control system on the terminal display. The controller and/or the hand-held terminal is adapted for indicating the operational range(s) of the at least one emergency stop actuation element by the terminal display. The controller and/or the hand-held terminal are further adapted for simultaneously representing the operational range(s) of the at least one emergency stop actuation element by selective, fail-safe controlling of at least one lighting device at the hand-held terminal and/or at least one discrete lighting device in or at the at least one emergency stop actuation element at the hand-held terminal.