Integrated Safety Activation for Material Testing Actuators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional material testing systems often fail to comply with international safety standards and require costly off-the-shelf safety components, which can increase costs and reduce reliability due to external wiring and additional firmware layers.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a safety system within the material testing system using embedded safety processors and diagnostics, eliminating the need for external safety components, and providing real-time monitoring and compliance with ISO safety standards through redundant and dynamic guarding systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional off-the-shelf safety components are used, then safety compliance is achieved, but system cost increases and reliability decreases due to external wiring and additional firmware layers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the safety system with the material testing system by integrating safety processors, diagnostics, and control functions into a single unified system. This eliminates the need for separate off-the-shelf safety components and their associated external wiring, thereby improving reliability while reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated safety system performs multiple functions including safety monitoring, diagnostics, actuator control, and compliance certification within a single system architecture. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated separate safety components, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If integrated safety system is implemented, then costs are reduced and reliability is improved, but implementation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated safety system is segmented into distinct functional modules including safety processors, diagnostics modules, and actuator control units. This modular segmentation allows for systematic integration while managing complexity through organized functional separation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If redundant and dynamic guarding systems are provided, then operator safety is enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The redundant and dynamic guarding functions are merged into the integrated safety system, sharing common processors and diagnostics infrastructure. This approach enhances operator safety through redundancy while avoiding the complexity of completely separate guarding systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Safety systems requiring intentional function activation and material testing systems including safety systems requiring intentional function activation are disclosed. An example material testing system includes: an actuator configured to control an operator-accessible component of the material testing system; an operator interface comprising a plurality of inputs; and one or more processors configured to: control the actuator based on at least one of a material testing process or an input from the operator interface; and require two or more inputs to be received within a predetermined threshold time to permit at least one operation of the actuator.