Segmented Power Supply Device for Work Units

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing work unit power supply systems face challenges in safely managing emergency stops, leading to increased restoration time and potential component misalignment due to the need to shut off power to both high and low safety component supply units, which increases costs and complicates downsizing.

Innovation Solution

A power supply device with a first power supply line that stops power during emergency stops and a second line that maintains power, allowing each work unit to receive power based on its safety structure, reducing restoration time and ensuring safety.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If power supply is shut off to all component supply units during emergency stop, then safety is ensured for low-safety units, but restoration time increases and component misalignment occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidrestoration time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The power supply system is segmented into multiple independent power supply lines (first power supply line for low-safety units, second power supply line for high-safety units). This allows selective power supply interruption based on safety requirements of individual component supply units, enabling high-safety units to maintain power during emergency stops while low-safety units are safely shut off.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If power supply is shut off to all component supply units during emergency stop, then safety is ensured for low-safety units, but component misalignment occurs increasing workability issues

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidworkability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The power supply system is segmented into multiple independent power supply lines (first power supply line for low-safety units, second power supply line for high-safety units). This allows selective power supply interruption based on safety requirements of individual component supply units, enabling high-safety units to maintain power during emergency stops while low-safety units are safely shut off.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If individual power supply switches are added to each component supply unit, then selective power control is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveselective power controlVSAvoidpower supply configuration
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the power supply control functionality into a centralized power supply device that manages multiple power supply lines. Instead of adding individual switches to each component supply unit, the system uses a unified power supply device with multiple output lines, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining selective power control capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The power supply device is designed with multi-functionality, serving as a centralized control point for multiple power supply lines. This universal device can selectively control power to different component supply units based on their safety requirements, eliminating the need for separate individual switches and reducing system complexity.

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

Data Source

PatentEP3316670B1Work unit power supply device
Publication Date: 2023.03.29 FUJI CORP
  • EP3316670B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3316670B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3316670B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

There is provided a power supply device for a work unit (power supply device 1 for a component supply unit) that supplies power to multiple work units (component supply units 81, 82, and 83) constituting a work device (a component supply device 93) as power supply targets, the device including: a first power supply line (41) through which power supply is stopped when an emergency stop condition is satisfied and a second power supply line (42) through which power supply is not stopped even when the emergency stop condition is satisfied, in which the first power supply line and the second power supply line can be used individually according to a difference in a safety structure of each work unit. According to this, when the emergency stop condition is satisfied, it is possible to reduce the restoration time required when the emergency stop is eliminated while guaranteeing the safety of the entire work device configured by the multiple work units.