ToF Safety Management for Mobile Machines in Tight Workspaces
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety management systems fail to ensure safe and flexible operation of automated mobile machines in environments with limited space and close actor proximity, lacking compliance with high standard safety regulations and requiring extensive hardware, which complicates collision avoidance and productivity.
Innovation Solution
A method using time-of-flight (ToF) based distance measurements to determine actor location area sets, adding a safety distance to ensure accurate positioning without additional sensory equipment, enabling reliable safety management and automatic action generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional safety management systems are used, then safety can be maintained through fenced off areas, but productivity deteriorates due to inability to conduct operations in parallel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical mechanical barriers (fenced off areas) with an electronic/optical monitoring system using time-of-flight measurements and risk criteria evaluation. This allows the safety function to be performed through electronic detection and computation rather than physical containment, enabling parallel operations while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary safety management system that acts as a mediator between actors in the environment. This system uses ToF measurements as intermediate data to evaluate risk criteria and generate safety actions, allowing safe interaction between multiple actors without requiring physical separation.
2Loss of information
If traditional positioning systems are used, then location information can be obtained, but safety cannot be proven according to high standard safety regulations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the measurement parameter from traditional GPS positioning to time-of-flight based distance measurements. This parameter change enables achieving the required measurement precision and reliability for safety compliance, as ToF measurements provide the accuracy needed to prove safety according to high standard regulations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional GPS positioning infrastructure with a ToF-based measurement system. This substitution provides the measurement precision and reliability required for safety compliance while maintaining the ability to obtain location information.
3Measurement precision
If extensive hardware equipment is used, then measurement accuracy can be improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the ToF measurement capability universal by implementing it in standard electronic devices rather than requiring specialized extensive hardware equipment. The same ToF mechanism serves multiple purposes: location determination, distance measurement, and safety evaluation, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses software-based risk criteria evaluation that can be copied and deployed across multiple devices without requiring additional hardware. The safety management logic is replicated through software rather than hardware, reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures accurate actor location determination and reduces the risk of nuisance actions while complying with safety regulations, allowing multiple actors to operate safely without extensive hardware requirements.
Implementation Method 1
receiving data, at an electronic device, the data corresponding to a set of time-of-flight (ToF) based distance measurements
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a system, an electronic device, a computer readable media and a method for managing safety of one or more actors present within an environment. The method comprising: at an electronic device: receiving data, corresponding to a set of time-of-flight based distance measurements, including one or more distance measurements, each distance measurement being: associated to a respective actor of the one or more actors and a respective other location of one or more other locations. The method further comprising one or more actor location area sets for each respective actor, of the one or more actors, for which the set of distance measurements includes one or more distance measurements. The method further comprising determining, based on the one or more determined actor location area sets whether one or more risk criteria of a set of risk criteria are met and in accordance with a determination that at least one of the one or more risk criteria are met generating at least one safety action and in accordance with a determination that none of the one or more risk criteria are met forgoing generating at least one safety action.