Safety Device Monitoring for Risk Assessment Violations

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current risk assessment monitoring systems for machine safety do not effectively detect changes in safety device parameters that may lead to violations of the initial risk assessment, potentially resulting in hazardous conditions due to manual recalculation being cumbersome and often ignored.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that receive parameters from a risk assessment, detect changes in safety device conditions, compare these changes with the risk assessment parameters, and send alerts when violations occur, ensuring continuous compliance with the risk assessment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual recalculation of risk assessment is performed when safety device parameters change, then compliance can be verified, but the process is cumbersome and often ignored

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompliance verificationVSAvoidmanual recalculation process
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by automatically detecting parameter changes in safety devices and immediately comparing them against risk assessment criteria, eliminating the need for manual recalculation and ensuring compliance is verified before hazardous conditions can develop

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements continuous feedback by monitoring safety device parameters in real-time, comparing them with risk assessment thresholds, and alerting operators when violations occur, creating a closed-loop system that maintains ongoing compliance without manual intervention

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If continuous monitoring of safety device parameters is implemented, then hazardous conditions can be detected early, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehazard detectionVSAvoidmonitoring system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The monitoring system is designed to be universal by accepting various types of safety device parameter inputs and applying the same risk assessment comparison logic, allowing one system to monitor multiple different safety parameters without requiring separate specialized systems for each

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-service by automatically detecting parameter changes, retrieving risk assessment criteria, performing comparisons, and generating alerts without requiring external manual intervention, thereby reducing operational complexity while maintaining high reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP4024148A1Dynamic risk assessment violation monitoring during a functional safety process
Publication Date: 2022.07.06 ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECH INC
  • EP4024148A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4024148A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4024148A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A method for risk assessment violation monitoring during a functional safety process includes receiving parameters from a risk assessment of a portion of a system with physical devices. The parameters of the risk assessment are applicable to a safety device of a machine safety system. The safety device is configured to prevent a hazardous condition in the system. The method includes detecting a change of a condition of the safety device. The condition is indicative of a potential safety issue affecting operation of the machine safety system. The method includes comparing parameters related to the change of the condition of the safety device with the parameters from the risk assessment and sending an alert in response to determining that the change of the condition of the safety device results in a violation of the risk assessment.