Robotic Motor Safety Control Using Standard Sensor Fault Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern inventory systems face challenges in ensuring safe operation of robotic devices interacting with operators and navigating storage areas, often requiring expensive and limited safety-rated sensors.
Innovation Solution
A safety-rated robotic motor control system using non-diverse, non-safety-rated sensors is implemented, where sensors detect motor data and transmit it to a programmable logic device for processing, and then to a safety controller to generate operating instructions, ensuring safe operation without the need for costly safety-rated components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If safety-rated sensors are used to ensure safe operation of robotic devices, then safety reliability is improved, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the safety control system into two independent parallel channels: a safety-rated channel using certified sensors and a non-safety-rated channel using standard sensors. Each channel processes sensor data independently through separate programmable logic devices to generate motor control signals. This segmentation allows the system to achieve safety certification through the dedicated safety channel while reducing overall cost and complexity by using inexpensive standard sensors in the parallel channel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality levels of sensors to different functional requirements within the same system. Safety-critical functions use safety-rated sensors meeting IEC 61508 standards, while non-critical functions use standard off-the-shelf sensors. This local differentiation optimizes the balance between safety reliability and system cost by not requiring expensive safety-rated sensors for all sensing functions.
2Reliability
If safety-rated sensors are used to ensure safe operation of robotic devices, then safety reliability is improved, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the safety control system into two independent parallel channels: a safety-rated channel using certified sensors and a non-safety-rated channel using standard sensors. Each channel processes sensor data independently through separate programmable logic devices to generate motor control signals. This segmentation allows the system to achieve safety certification through the dedicated safety channel while reducing overall cost and complexity by using inexpensive standard sensors in the parallel channel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive safety-rated sensors with inexpensive standard sensors for non-critical sensing functions. By using readily available off-the-shelf sensors instead of specialized safety-certified components, the system significantly reduces hardware costs while maintaining safety through the redundant safety-rated channel and cross-validation logic.
Data Source
AI summary
A safety rated robotic motor control system may be configured to receive sensor data from sensors positioned on a motor. The data can be received by a programmable logic device and processed to generate a fault message based on a first set of characteristics. The fault message and the data can be transmitted to a safety controller that determines a second set of characteristics and generates operating instructions based on the fault message and the second set of characteristics.