Practical Aspects of Safety System Implementation for Robotic Work Stations

摘要

Methods of controlling the safety hazards created by the introduction of robots into a manufacturing environment were discussed. Since most of the accidents caused by the use of robots in the workplace stem from a worker being in the robotic work zone, preventing unauthorized personnel from entering the robot work zone should significantly reduce the occurrence of these accidents. The use of barriers may decrease the flexibility of the manufacturing facility. Some individuals do need to be in the work area to provide maintenance and teaching operations to the robot. A three level safety control scheme was developed. This three level scheme was implemented and tested and the difficulties encountered at each sensing level are presented and discussed.