A safety device for a path that is traversed to enter a region in which danger to an individual is heightened due to operation of a machine includes at least one sensor installed along the path so as to detect the individual thereat, which compels the sensor to generate a signal. A lockout mechanism is deployed that compels the machine into a non-operational state in response to receiving the signal from the sensor. The lockout mechanism ensures the machine remains in the non-operational state when the signal from the sensor is removed therefrom. A reset circuit is deployed that, in response to activation thereof, compels the lockout mechanism to allow the machine into the operational state from the non-operational state.

Machines with safety systems are disclosed. The machine may take the form of woodworking machines including table saws, band saws, miter saws, hand-held circular saws, pneumatic chop saws, radial-arm saws, jointers, planars, routers and shapers. The machines may include an operative structure configured to perform a task, where the operative structure includes a cutting tool adapted to move in at least one motion, and a safety system adapted to detect the occurrence of an unsafe condition between a person and the cutting tool and for mitigating the unsafe condition. The safety system may include a detection subsystem and a reaction subsystem.

An optoelectronic apparatus for securing a source of danger in a spatial zone includes at least one image sensor that works in the infrared spectrum and that can generate range-resolved data of the spatial zone as well as an evaluation unit that is configured for the evaluation of the data for the detection of objects in a three-dimensional protected space within the spatial zone, wherein the source of danger is additionally at least partly secured by a mechanical partition that is at least very largely permeable to visually visible light. To provide a solution that prevents or at least reduces disturbing optical influences from outside the partition, it is proposed that the partition is coated with a layer such that the non-coated layer that is at least partly transparent for the image sensor is visible for the image sensor in a defined manner through the layer and is opaque.

The invention relates to an optoelectronic safety device with a light transmitter (14), a light receiver (30) for receiving received light beams (26) from reflections on at least one object (24) in the monitored region (22), an evaluation unit (32) for evaluating the received signals and for outputting a safety signal as a function of the received signals, the evaluation unit (32) comprising a standard multicore processor which is formed on only one semiconductor substrate and has at least two CPUs (44, 46), the standard multi-core processor (42) not being a dedicated safety module and the evaluation being carried out redundantly on both CPUs (44 and 46) of the computing unit (42), and the evaluation unit (32) having a watchdog controller (50) which monitors the function of the computing unit (42), the watchdog controller (50) being able to cause the evaluation unit (32) to output the safety signal independently of the computing unit (42).

A monitoring device for monitoring a boundary section of a safety zone for detecting an object at least partially entering or leaving the safety zone through the boundary section is provided. The monitoring device comprises: a light curtain device for detecting an object touching the boundary section; at least one radar device for detecting a movement direction of the object relative to the boundary section and/or a material property of the object; and an evaluation device for emitting an evaluation result based on a radar device signal from the radar device and optionally based on a light curtain device signal from the light curtain device.

The present invention relates to an industrial robot system comprising a platform adapted to be positioned on a floor in a robot cell, an industrial robot positioned on the platform and including an articulated robot arm, a sensor system comprising two sensors, wherein each of the sensors is configured to detect motions within an angle of at least 90° in a horizontal plane, two arms attached to the platform and arranged to move the sensors in relation to the platform independent of the articulated robot arm between an extended position located a distance of a least 0.5 m from the platform and a retracted position. The sensors are arranged to detect motions of an object within at least one safety zone defined in relation to the sensors when the sensors are located in the extended position, and the robot system comprises a safety control unit configured to adjust the speed of the robot if a moving object is detected in the at least one safety zone.

The subject matter disclosed herein describes an optical sensor used in a safety system. The sensor includes two pixel matrices on a single substrate. Each of the pixel matrices are arranged in a row and column format, and pixels from one matrix are interspersed with pixels from the other matrix such that alternating pixels in each row and column belong to separate matrices. Two sets of selection logic allow each matrix to be enabled separately. Additional monitoring logic is included to detect shorted pixels and/or shorted selection lines. In addition, the frames generated by each pixel array may be compared to detect variation in performance between arrays.

An apparatus for safeguarding a machine having a machine part performing a working movement, has a light source, a camera unit and a control unit. The light source and camera unit are attached to the machine part so as to concurrently move together with the machine part. The camera unit has an objective body with an optical lens element, an electronic image sensor arranged on a component support, an aperture stop, and a coupling part having a one-piece body by means of which the objective body and the component support are joined in a defined relative position to one another. The one-piece body fixedly rests on the component support thereby holding the aperture stop at a defined position relative to the electronic image sensor without individual adjustment. The control unit is designed to stop the working movement of the machine part depending on a signal produced by the camera unit.

A robot system comprises an intrusion detector which detects that a person has entered into a monitoring area established around a robot, an installation table which supports the robot, a light emitting device which brightens a surface of the installation table, and a control device which receives a signal outputted by the intrusion detector and controls the light emitting device. The control device causes the light emitting device to emit light when it is detected that the person has entered into the monitoring area.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to a light curtain protection system having a passive optical module arranged to receive, from an active optical module, a light signal such that a reflector reflects, through a polarization control module, the light signal to be received by a receiver in the active optical module. In an illustrative example, the polarization control module includes a half-wave plate aligned with the reflector to impart a first predetermined polarization to the reflected light signal such that the reflected light signal corresponds to a second predetermined polarization when received by the receiver. The polarization control module includes optical elements, such as, for example, a linear polarizer, to receive the reflected light such that the optical elements polarizes the received reflected light signal to correspond to a predetermined polarization. In some examples, the light curtain protection system may advantageously require operating power only for the active optical module.