Radio Transponder Safety Switching for Mobile Object Localization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety systems for mobile objects in industrial environments struggle to seamlessly integrate radio transponders with safety sensors, particularly during transitions into environments with radio location capabilities, requiring a solution that ensures safe switching and reliable safety functions.
Innovation Solution
A safety system that includes a control and evaluation unit, a radio location system, and a safety controller, with a radio transponder equipped with primary and secondary signal outputs, allowing for safe integration and switching between radio transponder and safety sensor inputs, ensuring continuous safety functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a radio transponder is integrated into the safety system for localization, then the productivity and adaptability of mobile objects in industrial environments is improved, but the device complexity and difficulty of ensuring reliable switching between safety sensors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the radio transponder localization system with the existing safety sensor system into a unified safety control system. The control and evaluation unit integrates both radio transponder position data and safety sensor signals, allowing seamless operation of both systems together rather than as separate entities.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety controller is designed to handle multiple functions: it processes safety sensor signals for traditional protected fields, receives and evaluates radio transponder position data for location-based safety decisions, and can switch between different safety input sources. This multi-functional design allows the same controller to manage both conventional and radio-based safety systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a radio transponder is integrated into the safety system, then the adaptability of mobile objects in environments with variable locations is improved, but the reliability of safe switching between radio transponder and safety sensor inputs becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The safety system implements dynamic switching between different safety input sources (safety sensors and radio transponder) based on real-time operating conditions. The control and evaluation unit continuously evaluates both input sources and can dynamically change which source controls the safety function, allowing the system to adapt to changing environmental conditions while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates continuous feedback mechanisms where the control and evaluation unit monitors both safety sensor signals and radio transponder position data, evaluates their validity and reliability, and uses this feedback to determine which input source should control the safety function. This feedback loop ensures reliable switching by constantly assessing the quality and availability of each input source.
3Reliability
If conventional safety scanners are used alone, then the safety function is reliable, but the system cannot operate effectively in environments where mobile objects have variable locations and radio location capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the safety control function into separate evaluation paths: one for traditional safety sensor inputs and another for radio transponder position data. The control and evaluation unit processes these segmented inputs independently and then integrates their results, allowing each segmentation to maintain its reliability characteristics while the integrated system gains adaptability to various operating environments.
Data Source
AI summary
A safety system for localizing at least one mobile object that has variable locations, having at least one control and evaluation unit, having at least one radio location system, and having at least one safety controller, wherein at least one radio transponder is arranged at the mobile object, wherein position data of the radio transponder and thus position data of the mobile object can be determined by means of the radio location system, wherein the position data can be transmitted from the radio location system to the control and evaluation unit, wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to cyclically detect the position data of the radio transponder, wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to evaluate the position data of the radio location system, and the radio transponder has respective safe primary signal outputs and the radio transponder has respective at least one safe secondary signal output, and wherein the safe primary signal outputs are electronically connected to the safety controller and the safe secondary signal output is connected to the safety controller.