Modular Control Cabinet Layout for Safer Robot Workspaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity and high cost of setting up automated manufacturing systems with industrial robots due to the need for custom-designed support structures and safety measures, as well as the effort required for integrating multiple robots and workstations, lead to increased design and construction efforts.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing standardized switch cabinets as the primary enclosure for industrial robots, which provides a secure and adaptable working space, eliminating the need for special robot housings and allowing for easy expansion and reconfiguration of the production system by connecting multiple cabinets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If custom-designed support structures and safety measures are used for industrial robots, then safety and reliability are improved, but device complexity and setup costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by using standardized switch cabinets that serve multiple functions: they provide structural support for the robot, define the working space boundaries, ensure safety through standardized enclosures, and offer modularity for system expansion. This single standardized component replaces the need for custom-designed support structures and safety measures, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the automated manufacturing system into modular units based on standardized switch cabinets. Each cabinet can independently house a robot or workstation, allowing the system to be built by combining discrete, pre-engineered modules rather than designing a monolithic custom structure. This segmentation reduces complexity by breaking down the overall design into reusable standard components.
2Productivity
If multiple industrial robots and workstations are integrated into a larger production system, then productivity is improved, but design and construction effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The standardized switch cabinets serve as universal building blocks that can accommodate different types of robots and workstations. This universality allows multiple workstations to be integrated into a larger production system using the same standardized enclosure design, reducing the design and construction effort required for system expansion while maintaining high productivity through coordinated multi-robot operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by placing robots and workstations inside standardized switch cabinet enclosures. Multiple nested units can be arranged to form larger production systems, allowing complex multi-robot configurations to be built by nesting standardized modules together. This approach reduces design effort by reusing proven enclosure designs rather than creating new custom structures for each integration scenario.
3Ease of manufacture
If standardized switch cabinets are used to define the working space, then ease of manufacture and cost are improved, but adaptability to different robot configurations may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The standardized switch cabinets are segmented into modular units with consistent dimensions and interfaces. This segmentation allows the cabinets to be arranged in different configurations to accommodate various robot types and working space requirements. The modular nature maintains ease of manufacture through standardization while providing adaptability through flexible arrangement combinations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic adaptability by allowing standardized switch cabinets to be configured in different spatial arrangements and combinations based on specific production requirements. The standardized interfaces and dimensions enable the same cabinet design to adapt to different robot configurations through repositioning and recombination, maintaining cost-effectiveness while providing versatility.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an automated manufacturing system (1/4) with an industrial robot (3) and further process machines (5) which are arranged in a predetermined workspace (4) of the manufacturing system (1/4). To achieve the simplest and most cost-effective implementation of an automated manufacturing system, the invention provides that the workspace (4) is defined by one or more control cabinets (15, 16, 17, 25) and that the control cabinet(s) (15, 16, 17, 25) are part of a modular control cabinet system.