Master Thesis - Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg

6. Evaluating the safety Master Thesis Björn Ostermann page 100 of 126
6 Evaluating the safety of the system
The primary goal of this master thesis was a feasibility study on realizing a working collaboration
workplace, a workplace where human and robot work alongside each other. This goal has been
reached, as described in previous chapters.
The safety of the testing environment was verified by the application of a hold to run button and the
reduced speed of the robot. Realizing such a workplace in praxis would require an integration of safety
with a reduced inclusion of humans into the safety concept.
For the integration of safety in robot workplaces there are several regulations to be considered. Apart
from formal requirements those regulations also contain requirements on safety. Considering those
safety requirements is made easier by applying appropriate standards.
The main point of the developed approach is to ensure the safety distance between robot and human.
The safety distance required by the given workplace is evaluated, based on the performance of its
components and the developed program. Afterwards the reverse is computed, taking a desired safety
distance and showing the necessary performance in the components.
The results are compared, showing the state of development of the system and the necessary
improvements.
6.1 Regulations
When placing machinery on the market and/or putting it into service several regulations have to be
applied. In the European Common Market requirements are laid down in directives for most products,
so called harmonized products. When concentrating on the requirements of this robot working place,
especially on its safety, the main European directives that have to be considered are:
- Machinery Directive 98/37/EC – until 28.12.2009
- Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC – from 29.12.2009
- Pressure equipment Directive 97/23/EC
- Low voltage Directive 2006/95/EC
- EMC Directive 2004/108/EC
Those directives have to be transposed into national law by the member states without changes. Thus
it is possible for this project to relay on the European law, making the results of the project applicable
in the whole common market.
Considering the safety problems induced by the new approach on collaboration of human and robot,
only the requirements of the machinery directive are important. The safety requirements of all other
regulations are not relevant for this new concept. Their application causes no special problems that
have not already been solved in today’s workplaces.