Robot Emergency Stop Circuit With Duplex Safety Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robots lack an effective mechanism for emergency stopping, which is crucial for ensuring user safety during interactions, especially in dynamic and unpredictable environments.
Innovation Solution
A robot system incorporating a stop circuit and controller that generates control signals for emergency stopping based on sensor data and user input, utilizing a duplexing processor to ensure reliable operation and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a robot operates autonomously in dynamic environments, then productivity and automation are improved, but safety and reliability deteriorate due to lack of emergency stopping capability
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into multiple independent components: a main processor for normal operations and a separate duplexing processor specifically dedicated to safety monitoring and emergency stopping functions. This segmentation allows the robot to maintain autonomous productivity while ensuring independent safety verification through the duplexing processor that continuously monitors system states and can trigger emergency stops without interfering with normal autonomous operations.
2Reliability
If emergency stopping mechanisms are added to robots, then safety and reliability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The emergency stopping functionality is merged into the existing dual-processor architecture by designating one processor as a duplexing processor. Rather than adding separate emergency stop hardware, the system combines safety functions with the control system's processor structure. The duplexing processor shares the physical platform with the main processor but operates independently to monitor safety conditions, triggering emergency stops when necessary without requiring additional complex safety subsystems.
3Reliability
If multiple processors are used for safety monitoring, then reliability is improved, but use of energy and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The duplexing processor performs multiple functions: it monitors safety conditions, verifies main processor operations, and can trigger emergency stops. By making this processor multi-functional, the system achieves reliable safety monitoring without adding dedicated single-purpose safety hardware. The same processor that could handle control tasks can also perform safety monitoring, reducing overall energy consumption compared to having separate specialized safety processors while maintaining the benefits of dual-processor safety verification.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot may perform emergency stopping. The robot includes: a driving device configured to perform movement of the robot; a stop switch configured to output a stop switch signal; a controller configured to output a stop signal; and a stop circuit configured to output a first control signal and a second control signal for stopping the driving device. The stop circuit may output the first control signal and the second control signal in response to the stop signal and the stop switch signal.