A safety control system has a control unit with safety control logic, a safety sensor arrangement, a machine arrangement operable in different operation modes, each operation mode having a different productivity, the control unit receiving and evaluating input from the safety sensor arrangement, and, in reaction to evaluation result(s), activating an operation mode determined by the safety control logic, the safety sensor arrangement having at least two functionally redundant subsystems, control unit input including information indicating availability of the functionally redundant subsystems, the control logic being configured to activate normal operation mode with normal productivity if input indicates availability of all subsystems, activate fail-stop operation mode with zero productivity if input indicates unavailability of all subsystems, activate fail-operate operation mode with productivity less than normal but above zero if input indicates at least temporary unavailability of at least one and availability of at least another one of the subsystems.

A robot control device includes a contact judging part which judges if the robot has contacted an object based on external force which is detected by the sensor, a stop command part which makes the robot stop when it is judged that the robot has contacted the object, a continuous contact judging part which judges if the robot continues to contact the object after making the robot stop, and a retraction command part which makes the robot retract in a direction away from the object when it is judged that the robot continues to contact the object.

A human machine interface for an industrial automation control system includes at least one touchless input device that is adapted to be in a first state in which said human machine interface provides a first input to said industrial automation control system or a second state in which said human machine interface provides a second input to said industrial automation control system. The at least one touchless input device includes first and second touchless input sensors each configured to detect hand gestures of an operator's hand to provide input to said human machine interface based upon said gestures. The first and second touchless input sensors can be identical with respect to each other or different. In one example, one or both of the sensors are both time-of-flight sensors and one of the sensors can be an electric field proximity sensor. A method of providing a human machine interface with at least one touchless input device is provided. In one embodiment, the touchless input device provides an emergency stop (Estop) switch device.

A method for operating a machine control system and a corresponding machine control system uses a portable hand-held terminal for functionally influencing at least one machine controller. The terminal includes at least one emergency stop actuation element for terminating potentially dangerous machine operations. The controller and/or the terminal is adapted for indicating a representation of the control system on the terminal display. The controller and/or the hand-held terminal is adapted for indicating the operational range(s) of the at least one emergency stop actuation element by the terminal display. The controller and/or the hand-held terminal are further adapted for simultaneously representing the operational range(s) of the at least one emergency stop actuation element by selective, fail-safe controlling of at least one lighting device at the hand-held terminal and/or at least one discrete lighting device in or at the at least one emergency stop actuation element at the hand-held terminal.

An example material testing system includes: an actuator configured to control an operator-accessible component of the material testing system; and one or more processors configured to: control the actuator based on at least one of an operator command or a material testing process; determine, based on a plurality of inputs, a state of the material testing system from a plurality of predetermined states, the predetermined states comprising one or more unrestricted states and one or more restricted states; when the state of the material testing system is one of the restricted states, enforce a restriction on the actuator; and in response to completion of an action involving controlling the actuator, automatically set the state of the material testing system to one of the restricted states.

The emergency stop switch 2 performs an operation support of an operation switch, and not only improves operability and safety but also simplifies the structure to enhance reliability. The emergency stop switch (or operation switch unit) 2 with an operation support function includes an emergency stop button (or operation switch) 21 for switching the state of the contact, a reception part (or detection part) 32 for detecting a remote operation of the emergency stop button 21 and an electromagnetic solenoid (or actuating part) 3 that is disposed between the contact and the emergency stop button 21 and that actuates the emergency stop button 21 on the basis of the remote operation received (or detected) by the reception part 32. The emergency stop button 21 is located on one end side of the emergency stop switch 2 and the contact is located on the other end side of the emergency stop switch 2.

A method for operating a system that includes a main machine tool, an auxiliary device, and a transmission device with a first sending and receiving device assigned to the main machine tool and a second sending and receiving device assigned to the auxiliary device includes sending a first signal that represents a connection inquiry from the first sending and receiving device to the second sending and receiving device after an actuation of an input device of the main machine tool by a user. A second signal that represents a connection response from the second sending and receiving device is sent to the first sending and receiving device after an actuation of an actuating device of the auxiliary device by the user. The method further includes activating and/or testing an emergency cutout functionality of the actuating device by the actuation of the actuating device of the auxiliary device by the user.

A human machine interface for an industrial automation control system includes at least one touchless input device that is adapted to be in a first state in which said human machine interface provides a first input to said industrial automation control system or a second state in which said human machine interface provides a second input to said industrial automation control system. The at least one touchless input device includes first and second touchless input sensors each configured to detect hand gestures of an operator's hand to provide input to said human machine interface based upon said gestures. The first and second touchless input sensors can be identical with respect to each other or different. In one example, one or both of the sensors are both time-of-flight sensors and one of the sensors can be an electric field proximity sensor. A method of providing a human machine interface with at least one touchless input device is provided. In one embodiment, the touchless input device provides an emergency stop (Estop) switch device.

A mobile security basic control device (15) of a robot (1), has a hand-held housing (16), an emergency stop switching means (17) arranged at the housing (16), a communication device (18) for establishing a link in terms of control between the mobile security basic control device (15) and a robot controller (12) of the robot (1). A holder (19) is connected to the housing (16), which is designed to mount the mobile security basic control device (15) on a mobile terminal (20). The mobile terminal has a terminal control system (21) and a multi-touchscreen (22), which is designed to transmit inputs to the terminal control system (21) via the multi-touchscreen (22). The mobile security basic control device (15) comprises a coding device (25) which, in a state where the mobile security basic control device (15) is mounted on the mobile terminal (20) by means of the holder (19), is designed to automatically transmit at least one identification code identifying the mobile security basic control device (15) to the terminal control system (21) via the multi-touchscreen (22).

A power conversion device includes a function of improving safety of a system by making a dynamical setting for a safety function operation at a time of detecting an abnormality in a system operation or a diagnosis error in accordance with a condition of the system at a time of the abnormality. A power conversion system includes a power conversion device main body configured to drive a motor and a safety function unit configured to execute a safety function. The safety function unit outputs a safety function operation instruction signal when receiving a safety request signal, and the power conversion device main body controls the motor by the safety function operation instruction signal. The safety function unit monitors a state of the motor, and, in a case where the state of the motor exceeds a predetermined range, executes a threshold-value-excess post-process by a safety function operation selected in advance.