Concept and Validation of a Large-scale Human-machine Safety System Based on Real-time UWB Indoor Localization

In production line, the conventional industrial robots and automatic machines require machinery safety protection to guarantee the safety of human operators. A scalable and easy-to-configure safety system concept called Real-time Safety Virtual Positioning (RSVP) is proposed, which could act as potentially key enabler for agile production systems by eliminating fixed safety installation and thus increasing productivity and flexibility. The RSVP provides easy access to robots of automatic assembly lines in plants, e.g., automotive OEM, and supports virtualization and transparent to fully automatic and semi-automatic assembly line by knowing the position of persons and relevant objects (e.g., tools, finished and/or semi-finished goods, and materials). The focus of the paper will discuss the functional safety certification realization (concept approved by TUV (Technical Inspection Association)) and validation details of indoor localization-based safety system developments. The detailed strategy of the functional safety requirements, danger diagnosis and reaction approach, communication among safety controller, robot and machine, and safe failure reaction are listed and analyzed. The physical hardware framework and software architecture of the safety system are built and developed with the 1oo2-architecture according to the Performance Levels (PL d) of ISO 13849 and the Safety Integrity Levels (SIL 2) of IEC 61508. The implicated algorithms and data process of the UWB-based (Ultra-Wide Band) indoor localization system are introduced. The safety system concept is validated and verified in an ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) production line with human-robot co-existence environment.