Control systems for industrial machinery (e.g., robots) or other devices such as medical devices utilize a safety processor (SP) designed for integration into safety applications and computational components that are not necessarily safety-rated. The SP monitors performance of the non-safety computational components, including latency checks and verification of identical outputs. One or more sensors send data to the non-safety computational components for sophisticated processing and analysis that the SP cannot not perform, but the results of this processing are sent to the SP, which then generates safety-rated signals to the machinery or device being controlled by the SP. As a result, the system may qualify for a safety rating despite the ability to perform complex operations beyond the scope of safety-rated components.

A work management system is applied to a work area in which a predetermined work is executed by a worker and a robot. The work management system includes a control section configured to control the robot such that a specified operation set in advance is included in an operation by the robot executing the predetermined work, an information acquisition section configured to acquire work information indicating a presence or absence of the specified operation in at least one of an execution result and an execution process of the predetermined work, and an identification section configured to identify whether a work subject of the predetermined work is the worker or the robot based on the work information acquired by the information acquisition section.

A robot system including a robot that is controlled by a robot controller and a wireless communication device that is worn or carried by a person present in the periphery of the robot. The wireless communication device has a sensor capable of detecting an acceleration, the wireless communication device is configured to transmit information related to the acceleration to the robot controller of the robot in a state in which the wireless communication device is not operated by the person, and the robot controller performs operation restriction of the robot when the acceleration exceeds a threshold.

A method for operating an application of a robot system includes selecting a first robot system situation module from a situation module library that comprises a plurality of predefined application-independent robot system situation modules for the robot system, each of which modules maps at least one input signal onto at least one output signal; linking the first robot system situation module to at least one additional selected robot system situation module from the situation module library, and/or to at least one application-class-specific application class situation module that is predefined for a class of a plurality of applications and maps at least one input signal onto at least one output signal, and/or to at least one application-specific application situation module that maps at least one input signal onto at least one output signal, to form a first application situation module that maps the input signals of its linked situation modules onto at least one output signal; and operating the application on the basis of the first application situation module.

A control method executes a first step of actuating a brake to decelerate a robot arm, a second step of releasing or relaxing the actuation of the brake when one of Conditions A1, A2, and A3 is satisfied after deceleration of the robot arm, and a third step of actuating the brake again to restrict driving of the robot arm when one of Conditions B1, B2, and B3 is satisfied after release or relaxation of the brake, Condition A1: a velocity of the robot arm becomes a predetermined value or less; Condition A2: a contact state between the robot arm and the object becomes stable; Condition A3: time TA elapses; Condition B1: time TB elapses; Condition B2: a movement amount of the robot arm becomes a predetermined value or more; and Condition B3: the contact state between the object and the robot arm is released or relaxed.

In order to alleviate a user's burden of maintenance, the present invention calculates an actual lifetime of a cable, which is the intrinsic lifetime of the cable, and extends cable replacement cycles. Provided is a lifetime prediction device for a cable used in an industrial machine, the lifetime prediction device being provided with: a motion amount analysis unit that analyzes a motion amount of a motion axis of the industrial machine on the basis of a motion program for operating the industrial machine; and a lifetime calculation unit that calculates a predicted value of a lifetime of the cable by applying to the motion amount a relational expression between the motion amount and the lifetime of the cable based on the Eyring model.

Inspection robots and methods for inspection of curved surfaces with sensors at selected horizontal distances are described. An example of such an inspection robot includes a housing; a drive module with a wheel and a motor operatively linked to the housing, a plurality of sensor sleds, and a payload. The payload, which is coupled to the housing, may include a first and a second rail component, each with at least one connector, where the rail components are connectable at a first selected position of a plurality of discrete engagement positions. Each of the rail components may be structured to support at least one of the plurality of sleds where each of the plurality of sleds is coupled to the payload at a respective selected horizontal position such that the plurality of sleds are at selected horizontal distances from each other.

Fault tolerance for an automation controller for a machine is provided. A first portion of phases of the automation controller may be processed with fail operational protection, in which a failure of one of the computers used for the first portion still permits full operational functionality in the machine. The remaining portion of the phases are processed with fail degraded protection, in which a failure of a computer used for the remaining portion permits continued operation but with one or more constraints, as compared to the fail operational portions.

The invention relates to a demolition robot (1), comprising a cable (12) intended to be connected to an electric network to power a motor (21), a pump (22) that is powered by the electric motor for generating a hydraulic flow to consumers (13), wherein the motor (21) is activable at varying thermal load values (PT), depending on the current consumer's (13) need for hydraulic power, a control unit (24) arranged to receive information about the thermal load (PT) on the motor, to determine a partial thermal damage value (SL, SM, SH) at various thermal loads (PT) on the motor. To minimize the risk of thermal damage to the motor, the control unit (24) is adapted to compare said partial thermal damage values (SL, SM, SH) with a normative partial thermal damage (A) and is adapted to limit the thermal load (PT) on the motor (21) to a maximum allowable thermal load value (PTmax), if the partial thermal damage value (SL, SM, SH) exceeds the normative partial thermal damage (A) at a predetermined value (A′).

A deterioration determination apparatus according to one or more embodiments may include: an information obtainment unit configured to obtain information on deformation of one or more regions of a suction portion configured to hold an object by suction with negative pressure; and a deterioration determination unit configured to determine whether or not the suction portion has deteriorated, depending on the deformation of the one or more regions of the suction portion in a state in which the suction portion does not hold an object by suction.