FEATURE Robotics
The
complexity of robotic safety
By Stewart Robinson, Principal Engineer and Functional Safety Expert at TÜV SÜD, a global product testing and certification organisation
A
n ever-increasing number of manufacturing and logistics processes are now fully automated. To ensure reliable
performance and safety, manufacturers, suppliers, integrators and operators must assess and validate robot compliance against a range of diff erent standards, as well as consider application-specifi c requirements. At its core sits EN ISO 10218:2011, “Robots and robotic devices – Safety requirements for industrial robots”, an international and European standard that covers the safety requirements for industrial robots. Testing of industrial robots and their
robotic and control systems should cover the following aspects:
• Heavy loads and high speeds; • Unexpected start-up or behaviour; • Collision with work pieces or the surroundings;
• Ejecting work piece items; • Presence of humans in the critical area. Safety is of the highest priority when humans and robots are working side by side. While ISO 10218:2011 contains some guidance on the use of cobots, it was widely acknowledged that this needed enhancement. Consequently, ISO/TS 15066,“Robots and robotics – Collaborative robots”, was published in 2016. A barrier- free environment where the safety of the employee is always guaranteed is a basic requirement for a collaborative application, and the technical specifi cation of this standard should be followed. The methods of collaborative working ‘speed and separation monitoring’ and ‘power and force limiting’ are elaborated
28 June 2022 | Automation
on in ISO/TS 15066. Risk assessment according to EN ISO 12100 can also be used to defi ne the safety requirements for cobot applications and working environments. An essential component of a cobot application is the robot end eff ector, and the force required for gripping and the specifi c handling of the work piece are crucial safety factors. ISO TR 20218-1 outlines the interface and safety requirements for such gripper systems. Mobile robots help automate and optimise logistics processes. As they provide continuous service around the clock and can be fl exibly assigned for a variety of applications, their contribution to increased effi ciency and productivity is signifi cant. For example, AGVs follow are pre-formed fl oor- based conveyor network of fi xed routes, usually along wires or magnets embedded in the ground, helping to automate and optimise logistic processes.
Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) are
more sophisticated and packed with sensors and powerful on-board computers that allow them to navigate dynamically using a map. They are smart enough to recognise and react to obstacles to safely perform their function in a busy environment. Combinations of AGVs or AMRs with cobots necessitate particularly stringent safety requirements.
An Industrial Mobile Robot (IMR) is a combination of an AGV and AMR with an ‘Industrial Manipulator’ (robot). Market- specifi c requirements that must be taken into consideration include US standard ANSI/ RIA R15.08, “Safety Standard for Autonomous Mobile Robots”, and international standards
ISO 10218 parts 1 and 2. In the European Economic Area (EEA) IMRs are required to comply with the Machinery Directive, which for the UK market aligns with the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008. This requires a task-based risk assessment, for which the guidance in the international standard ISO 12100, “Safety of machinery – General principles for design – Risk assessment and risk reduction”, can be used, although it does not explicitly mention collaborative applications.
Replacing humans Service robots and personal-assistant robots diff er profoundly from industrial robots, as performing their tasks often includes replacing or supplementing human activity as they utilise learning and re-programming features to determine and analyse their environment. Requirements for humans and robots to work together safely therefore include: • Uniform standards for hardware and software components;
• Industrial security and aligned communication protocols; • Effi cient determination of the environment; • Short reaction times;
• High intelligence of the service robot systems;
• Easy and intuitive operations (such as speech and gesture control).
CONTACT:
TÜV SÜD
www.tuvsud.com/uk
automationmagazine.co.uk
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