Control device having a monitoring unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12517486-B2
Application number	US-202218552815-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2022
Priority date	Mar 30, 2021
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

A control device for controlling a machine or system includes a monitoring unit designed and configured to monitor the functional state of a second control unit such that, when the second control unit is in an activated functional state, by which the machine or system is put into a safe state, the monitoring unit connects at least one input means associated with the second control unit to a first control unit such that non-safety-relevant functions of the machine or system can be triggered by manual actuation of the input means, as long as the second control unit is in its activated functional state in which the input means is not connected to the machine or system as a proper safety switching means.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A control device for controlling a machine or system, the control device comprising:
a first control unit which is designed as a non-safe technology and is configured to control at least one non-safety-relevant function of the machine or system; a second control unit which is designed as a safe technology and is configured to control at least one safety-relevant function of the machine or system; wherein the second control unit is connected to at least one input means associated with the second control unit as a safe technology, the at least one input means designed for manual actuation in order to trigger the at least one safety-relevant function; and a monitoring device designed and configured to monitor the functional state of the second control unit in such a way that, in an activated functional state of the second control unit by which the machine or system is put into a safe state, the monitoring device connects the at least one input means to the first control unit in such a way that, by manual actuation of the input means, non-safety-relevant functions of the machine or system can be triggered while the second control unit is in its activated functional state in which the input means is not connected to the machine or system as a proper safety switching means.

2 . The control device of claim 1 , wherein:
the monitoring device is configured to transmit a signal to the first control unit when the second control unit is in the activated functional state; and in response to the signal, the first control unit associates a predetermined function with the at least one second input means such that the associated function is executed when the at least one second input means is actuated manually.

3 . The control device of claim 2 , wherein the second control unit is an emergency stop switching means.

4 . The control device of claim 2 , wherein the first control unit is configured, in terms of programming, to associate a specific function from a set of a plurality of different possible functions with the at least one second input means.

5 . The control device of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one second input means is formed on a hand-held operating device that is separate from the machine or from the system; and the hand-held operating device comprises an emergency stop switching means which, in terms of control technology, is connected in its functional operating state to the machine or the system such that:
in the connected state, the emergency stop switching means brings the machine or the system into a safe state when the emergency stop switching means is in its activated functional state, and
in the activated functional state of the emergency stop switching means, the predetermined function is associated with the at least one second input means so that the associated function can be triggered by the first control unit when the second input means is actuated manually after activation of the emergency stop switching means.

6 . The control device of claim 5 , wherein the at least one second input means is an enabling switch of the hand-held operating device.

7 . The control device of claim 6 , wherein:
the first control unit is designed and configured to associate a predetermined first function with the at least one enabling switch in the activated functional state of the second control unit, so that the associated first function is triggered in response to the enabling switch being partly pressed; and the first control unit is designed and configured to associate a predetermined second function, which differs from the first function, with the same enabling switch so that the associated second function is triggered in response to the enabling switch being fully pressed.

8 . The control device of claim 7 , wherein the second control unit is an emergency stop switching means.

9 . The control device of claim 6 , wherein:
the hand-held operating device comprises a first enabling switch and at least one second enabling switch; the first control unit is designed and configured to at least one of:
associate a predetermined first function with the first enabling switch in the activated functional state of the second control unit, so that the associated first function is triggered in response to the first enabling switch being partly pressed, or
associate a predetermined second function, which differs from the first function, with the first enabling switch so that, in response to the first enabling switch being fully pressed, the associated second function is triggered; and
the first control unit is designed and configured to associate a predetermined third function, which differs from the first function and the second function of the first enabling switch, with the at least one second enabling switch in the activated functional state of the second control unit, so that this associated third function is triggered if the at least one second enabling switch is partly pressed or fully pressed.

10 . The control device of claim 9 , wherein the second control unit is an emergency stop switching means.

11 . The control device of claim 5 , wherein:
the at least one second input means is an operating mode selector of the hand-held operating device; and the first control unit is designed and configured to associate a predetermined function with the at last one operating mode selector in the activated functional state of the second control unit, so that the associated function is triggered when the operating mode selector is manually switched.

12 . The control device of claim 11 , wherein the second control unit is an emergency stop switching means.

13 . The control device of claim 5 , wherein:
the at least one second input means is the emergency stop switching means of the hand-held operating device itself; and the first control unit is designed and configured to associate a predetermined function with the emergency stop switching means in the activated functional state of the emergency stop switching means, so that the associated function is triggered when this emergency stop switching means is actuated.

14 . The control device of claim 5 , wherein at least one of:
the machine is a robot; or the system comprises a plurality of robots, and at least one of the robots is controllable via the hand-held operating device.

Assignees

• Kuka Deutschland Gmbh

Inventors

• Kogan Yevgen

Classifications

• G05B2219/50198

  Emergency stop · CPC title

• G05B2219/37095

  Digital handheld device with data interface · CPC title

• G05B2219/24003

  Emergency stop · CPC title

• G05B19/048 Primary

  Monitoring; Safety · CPC title