A system includes a safety controller that, in operation, interrupts power to industrial automation devices or puts the system into a safe state upon command of a human operator. The system also includes an emergency stop switch circuit actuatable by a human operator and a human machine interface in data communication with the safety controller and the emergency stop switch circuit. The human machine interface includes integrated safety circuitry that, in operation, detects a change of state of the emergency stop switch circuit and provides a signal to the safety controller to interrupt power to the industrial automation devices or put the system into a safe state.

A numerical controller has a tool retraction function for retracting a tool so as not to damage the machined surface of a workpiece when machining of the workpiece by a machine tool is interrupted. The numerical controller identifies a machining method for the machining to be interrupted when a command to interrupt the machining is detected, determines the direction of the retraction of the tool, based on the identified machining method and the feed direction and the rotation direction of a spindle in the machining to be interrupted, and generates a movement path of the tool in the determined retraction direction.

Safety systems and material testing systems including safety systems are disclosed. An example material testing system includes: at least one actuator configured to control one or more operator-accessible components of the material testing system; an actuator disabling circuit configured to disable the at least one actuator; and one or more processors configured to: control the at least one actuator based on a material testing process; monitor a plurality of inputs associated with operation of the material testing system; determine, based on the plurality of inputs and the material testing process, 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; and control the actuator disabling circuit based on the determined state.

A robot controller configured to be able to mitigate the effect that an emergency stop may have on a robot is disclosed. The robot controller includes: a load detection unit which detects the load of a motor for driving each individual articulated axis of the robot; a speed detection unit which detects an axial speed at each individual articulated axis of the robot; a cause-of-stop identifying unit which, when an emergency stop of the robot occurs, identifies a cause of the occurrence of the emergency stop; and a recording unit which records the cause of the occurrence of the emergency stop by associating the cause with the axial speed or the load of the motor. The robot controller may further include a display unit which displays information representing the state of occurrence of the emergency stop of the robot.

An emergency stop system includes: an emergency stop switch including an operation button, a state output unit which outputs a state different in accordance with whether or not the operation button is pushed down, and an attachment unit which attaches the operation button and the state output unit to the mobile device in a detachable manner in such a manner that the state of the state output unit is positioned at a side facing a camera of the mobile device at the time of attachment to the mobile device; and an information processing unit determines in accordance with an image related to the state of the state output unit as imaged by the camera whether to output an emergency stop signal indicating an emergency stop of the machine operated by the mobile device or to output an emergency stop signal indicating no emergency stop of the machine.

This control device controls a buffer motor supplied with power from a power source that is shared with a drive motor driving an industrial machine, the control device comprising: a motor speed specifying unit that specifies the current speed of the buffer motor; an emergency stop detection unit that detects an emergency stop state; a buffer motor command generation unit that establishes, as an initial speed, the speed of the buffer motor at a prescribed timing after the detection of the release of the emergency stop by the emergency stop detection unit specified by the motor speed specifying unit, and generates a command for returning the speed of the buffer motor to a predetermined base speed at a predetermined prescribed acceleration; and a buffer motor control unit that controls the buffer motor on the basis of the command generated by the buffer motor command generation unit.

A robot system includes a robot, a control apparatus that controls the robot, a teaching apparatus having a first operation part that makes an emergency stop of a motion of the robot and teaching the motion of the robot, and an emergency stop processing apparatus having a second operation part that continues the motion of the robot after the first operation part is operated, wherein the second operation part is separately provided from the control apparatus.

A method and an automation system for assigning an emergency-stop device to at least one robot system that includes at least one robot and/or machine, wherein the assigned robot system is stopped upon actuation of the emergency-stop device. The assignment of the emergency-stop device can be removed from a first assigned robot system and assigned to a second robot system, e.g., if the emergency-stop device is moved between the robot systems (hand-held operating apparatus vehicle. In the method, the emergency-stop device is assigned to a selected range of effectiveness of a robot system, and the emergency-stop device is integrated into the relevant safety circuit of that robot system which is within the selected range of effectiveness.

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 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 automated material test process involving controlling the actuator, automatically set the state of the material testing system to one of the restricted states.

A robot controller configured to be able to mitigate the effect that an emergency stop may have on a robot is disclosed. The robot controller includes: a load detection unit which detects the load of a motor for driving each individual articulated axis of the robot; a speed detection unit which detects an axial speed at each individual articulated axis of the robot; a cause-of-stop identifying unit which, when an emergency stop of the robot occurs, identifies a cause of the occurrence of the emergency stop; and a recording unit which records the cause of the occurrence of the emergency stop by associating the cause with the axial speed or the load of the motor. The robot controller may further include a display unit which displays information representing the state of occurrence of the emergency stop of the robot.