Head-Mounted Vision Safety for Machine Tool Hazard Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety devices for machine tools often fail to reliably detect potentially hazardous states during unusual machining processes or with unconventional workpiece shapes, leading to unnecessary safety measure activations or user deactivation of safety features.
Innovation Solution
A safety device with a head-mounted image capture system that evaluates images in real-time to detect potentially hazardous states by monitoring the user's field of vision and the movement of body parts and machine tool components, triggering appropriate safety measures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional safety devices use fixed monitoring positions, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of hazardous state detection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from fixed two-dimensional sensor arrays to three-dimensional spatial monitoring by mounting image capture devices on a head-mounted display worn by the operator. This enables hazard detection from multiple dynamic perspectives throughout the operator's field of view, significantly improving detection accuracy for unusual machining processes and unconventional workpiece shapes that fixed sensors cannot reliably detect.
2Reliability
If safety devices activate safety measures frequently to ensure safety, then the reliability of safety measures is improved, but the productivity of machine tool operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional capacitive or optical sensors with a vision-based detection system using image capture devices and AI image evaluation. This substitution enables more accurate distinction between normal and hazardous states through visual pattern recognition, reducing false activations and allowing continued operation during non-hazardous conditions while maintaining high safety reliability.
3Measurement precision
If safety devices monitor a larger area to improve detection coverage, then the measurement precision of hazardous states is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The head-mounted display serves multiple functions: it displays operational information to the operator, provides the mounting platform for image capture devices, and processes visual data for hazard detection. This multi-functionality enables comprehensive area monitoring without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the same wearable unit performs both display and detection tasks.
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
Enhances user safety by accurately detecting hazardous situations in various machining contexts, reducing false activations, and allowing continued operation of machine tools with improved safety measures.
Implementation Method 1
an image capture device (2a, 2b) attached to the head mount (1), which is aligned to perform image capture in the field of vision (3c) of the user wearing the head mount (1)
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a safety device for a machine tool, comprisinga detection device which is designed to detect a potentially hazardous state for a part of the body of a user of the machine tool caused by a component of the machine tool which could cause injurya safety measure device which is designed to carry out a safety measure by means of which a hazardous state of the user of the machine tool is reduced or avoided by a component of the machine tool,a control device which is coupled to the detection device and the safety measure device in terms of signal technology and is designed to carry out an evaluation of a potentially hazardous state detected by the detection device on the basis of predetermined criteria and, depending on the evaluation, to trigger the safety measure device to carry out a safety measure,characterized in thatthe capture device comprises a head mount for attachment to the user's head and an image capture device attached to the head mount and aligned to perform image capture in the user's field of view, andthe control device is designed to perform the evaluation on the basis of images captured by the image capture device.