Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Generic control system – apparatus or process – Having protection or reliability feature
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-01
2004-08-17
Patel, Ramesh (Department: 2121)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Generic control system, apparatus or process
Having protection or reliability feature
C700S065000, C700S066000, C700S245000, C318S563000, C318S568110, C318S568160, C318S568200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06778867
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a monitoring and control device for monitoring a technical system comprising at least one portable and/or mobile and/or immobile device, particularly a handling device that is arranged in a protective device, comprising at least one preferably central and/or decentralized control unit as well as actuators connected to it to carry out dangerous actions.
Furthermore, the invention concerns a method for the safety-related monitoring of at least one axis of a drive unit, which in particular is meant to monitor a technical system with at least one portable and/or mobile and/or immobile device with enhanced safety requirements, particularly a handling device that is arranged in a protective device, comprising at least one preferably central and/or decentralized control unit as well as actuators connected to it to carry out dangerous actions.
The invention also relates to a mechanism for the safety-related monitoring of an axis of a technical system powered by a drive unit, comprising an actual status value transmitter that is coupled with the axis, with the transmitter being connected to a two-channel drive control mechanism for evaluation purposes.
Finally, the invention concerns a method for monitoring the speed of a specific point of a handling device that can be moved, preferably of a robot flange or a tool center point (TCP) of a technical system, particularly of a handling device.
In order to design a handling device in such a way that it can be operated in the vicinity of people as well, DE 39 02 247 A1 suggests designing the actual value transmitter for status acknowledgements and control elements in a redundant fashion and providing a monitoring and safety circuit that is activated when signal deviations occur between the redundant pick-ups.
The monitoring and safety circuit responds to signal deviations between the redundant actual value transmitters; however, external safety precautions are not incorporated in the evaluation. Familiar monitoring and safety circuits also do not provide for the circuit to be able to actively intervene in the process of movements of the handling device.
From DE 296 20 592 U1 we know of a device for the safety-related monitoring of a machine axis that is equipped with a separate processor and actual value recording system as well as an error discovery system through signal comparison testing and compulsory dynamization. The device is equipped with two separate actual value recording systems, which direct their respective actual values to separate processors. The processors compare the actual values with the upper and lower limits.
From the state of the art, we know that for the monitoring and controlling of a braking device for driving mechanisms of a handling device an operator—in the case of a closed braking device—feeds electric current to a driving mechanism to generate a torque and checks visually whether the driving mechanism moves even in the case of a closed braking device. This procedure is not precise and must be conducted separately for each axis.
From the state of the art, we also do not know yet how to monitor the process of movement of a defined point in the Cartesian space with regard to position and speed.
The invention at issue faces, among other things, the problem of making a safety circuit available for the monitoring of processes of movements of a technical system that can be used in a flexible manner and enhances the safety of the technical system.
Furthermore, the invention is based on the problem of further developing a method and a device for the safety-related monitoring of an axis with a drive unit in such a way that the realization of a single-channel actual value recording sensory mechanism for enhanced safety-related requirements is made possible.
Additionally, the invention is based on the problem of further developing a method for controlling and monitoring a braking device in such a way that automatic monitoring or verification is enabled in a simple manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is also based on the problem of monitoring the process of movement of a defined point of a device of the technical system in the Cartesian space.
In order to resolve the primary problem, it is being suggested
to connect the monitoring and control device with sensors and/or actuators, evaluating, processing and controlling their respective status,
to connect the monitoring and control device with the control unit and have it transmit—in accordance with the status of the sensors and/or actuators—at least one release signal to the control unit in order to enable at least one operation in the technical system,
to have the monitoring and control device monitor the execution of this at least one operation and
to create another signal in case of errors, moving the system into a safe status.
The monitoring and control device is designed in such a way that it can additionally be integrated into commercially available central and/or decentralized numerical controls in order to monitor dangerous operations of a technical system, particularly three dimensional dangerous movements, in a safety-related manner or manner that protects the operator(s). In case of a defective execution of the operations, a signal is generated to transfer the system into a safe condition.
The monitoring and control device is equipped with input and output levels, to which the sensors and/or actuators are connected. Additionally, interfaces are provided in order to possibly connect the monitoring and control device with the existing central control unit via a bus.
In a preferred version, the monitoring and control device is connected to a robot control mechanism. The design ensures that the at least one actuator and/or the at least one sensor is designed as a safety device that transfers the technical system into the safe status. In particular, the actuator is designed as a drive unit with appropriate drive controls or as a contactor that connects the technical system or the drive controls with energy.
When all actuators and/or sensors are in a condition that agrees with the safety requirements, the release signal of the monitoring and control device triggers an operation such as a process of movement, which is monitored by the control and monitoring device preferably by comparing it with stored and/or specified values such as execution and/or function and/or plausibility specifications or processes of movements.
In order to be able to use the monitoring and control device in a flexible manner, the invention provides for the control unit to be connected to the at least one actuator and/or sensor and the monitoring and control device via at least one data circuit, preferably a serial bus line. In particular, the control unit and the monitoring and control device are physically designed as separate devices.
In order to ensure safe monitoring of the processes of movements, the invention's design is such that the control unit continuously or once transmits a target status value signal to the at least one connected drive control and/or to the monitoring and control device as well as actual status value signals from the at least one drive control to the control unit, preferably both to the control unit and to the monitoring and control device, that the actual status value signals of every drive control are compared to the drive-specific values and/or value ranges that are stored in the monitoring and control device and transmitted by the control unit and that when the respective value and/or value range is left another signal is generated.
In order to achieve as high an error safety rate as possible, the drive controls and the monitoring and control device, respectively, are equipped with at least two channels in a redundant design, with the channels being connected to each other via the bus line CAN_A and another bus line CAN_B, with control signals and/or actual value information being transmitted via the bus line CAN_A and actual value information via the bus line CAN_B. For the evaluation of electr
Berberich Georg
Som Franz
Ziegler Olaf
Barnes Crystal J
Elan Schaltelemente GmbH & Co. KG
Patel Ramesh
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