Human-robot collaboration

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Human-robot collaboration ( HRC for short ) means that humans and robots share a work area without a protective device .

definition

Exact definitions can be found in DIN EN ISO 10218-1, an internationally harmonized standard for industrial robots . Protection of robots as potentially dangerous machines was done in the past by protective fences. Appropriate security technology makes it increasingly possible to omit protective fences, which often disrupt the work flow, without compromising on human safety.

Standardized security requirements

It is understandable and correct that the safety functions that are now replacing the safety fence are subject to very high requirements in terms of reliability, i.e. H. extremely low failure probability and one-fault security. The latter means that the failure of a component must not lead to the failure of the safety function. This very often leads to the two-channel execution of a safety function.

The above-mentioned standard distinguishes between four different cases, three of which implement collision avoidance (operation by means of enabling buttons or safety sensors that reliably detect human access), and one case allows contact, i.e. H. a correct interaction between robot and human ("power and power limitation"). In this case, safety functions must ensure that there are no injuries in the event of contact and collisions between robot and human. In concrete terms, it is important that biomechanical limit values ​​(pressures and forces) are not exceeded in the event of a collision. A user should ensure that all safety functions of the robot such as B. Position monitoring, speed monitoring, force and torque monitoring, collision detection and orientation monitoring have been tested and certified by an independent authority. When checking the safety functions, all components that contribute to this safety function are considered, e.g. B. sensor, bus communication, evaluation algorithms, computer hardware etc.

meaning

If the robot meets the normative safety requirements, human-robot collaboration offers a wide range of possible applications. The automation gap that was previously between purely manual processing and fully automatic processing with a robot behind a protective grille is closed. The robot acts as an assistant to humans and makes their work easier. Human abilities that the robot will not achieve in the foreseeable future, such as experience, the ability to learn, improvisation, the combination of human senses, can interact with robot strengths such as accuracy, strength, speed, and repeatability.

Human-robot collaboration offers great opportunities, as the risks can be controlled when using adequate safety technologies.

literature

  • Industrial robots - Safety requirements - Part 1: Robots (ISO 10218-1 : 2011)
  • Robots and Robotic Devices - Collaborative Robots (ISO / TS 15066: 2016)
  • Safety of machines - safety-related parts of control systems (ISO 13849-1: 2016)
  • Bruch, Guido: Introduction to human-robot collaboration, Munich 2018
  • Reinhart, Gunther et al .: Industrial Robots: Planning - Integration - Trends A Guide for SMEs, Würzburg 2018