Safety Controller for Industrial Robot Drive Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety control systems for industrial robots lack flexibility and configurability, leading to inadequate safety adaptations when machine configurations change, and they fail to effectively manage safety risks across integrated groups of robots, resulting in reduced functional reliability.
Innovation Solution
A safety controller is introduced to directly connect safety peripheral components with the drive system, allowing for flexible and configurable safety adaptations by evaluating and forwarding safety-related signals, thereby bypassing the rigid connection between internal safety peripherals and the drive system, and enabling superordinate access to safety functions across multiple machines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid safety control system is used with predefined safety connections, then safety reliability is ensured, but flexibility and adaptability to changing machine configurations are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic safety control by enabling the safety controller to be reconfigured and reassigned to different machines or machine groups as needed. The safety controller can dynamically adapt its control logic and connections based on changing facility requirements, allowing the same safety controller to serve different configurations of machines, robot arms, or safety zones without requiring hardware reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety controller is designed as a universal component that can control multiple different machines, safety functions, and machine groups through software configuration rather than dedicated hardware connections. A single safety controller can assume different safety roles (e.g., controlling different safety zones, managing different robot arms, or overseeing different machine groups) by loading appropriate control logic, making the safety system universally applicable across various configurations.
2Reliability
If a superordinate safety control system is implemented for integrated robot groups, then safety coordination across multiple machines is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple safety control functions into a single safety controller that can manage entire machine groups or facilities. Instead of having separate safety controllers for each machine, the system merges safety control capabilities into one centralized unit that can oversee multiple robots, safety zones, and machine groups simultaneously, reducing the overall number of safety controllers needed while maintaining comprehensive safety coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety controller acts as an intermediary between the control systems of multiple machines and the safety requirements of the facility. It receives control signals from various machines, evaluates them against safety criteria, and issues appropriate safety commands, thereby mediating between individual machine operations and overall facility safety without requiring direct complex interconnections between all machines.
3Reliability
If safety peripheral components are rigidly connected to the drive system, then safety function reliability is maintained, but configurability and ease of modification are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid mechanical or hardwired safety connections with software-based safety control logic. Instead of physically connecting safety peripheral components directly to drive systems through fixed wiring, the system uses a safety controller with programmable logic that can be configured through software to establish safety relationships between machines, safety devices, and drive systems, allowing easy modification without physical reconfiguration.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and a method for controlling at least one machine, such as an industrial robot, having drives, safety peripheral components and a controller for a machine, and also having a safety controller. In this arrangement, the safety controller has superordinate access over the respective machine controller both to the machine drives and to the safety peripherals. This achieves the most easily configurable integration of the safety control loop into the operating control loops.