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US 12,589,497 B2Granted
Monitoring system and method for operating the system
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsMaximilian Walter, Thomas Kahabka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and monitoring system includes a first person detector that is configured to output a first position indicator relating to a person identified in a monitoring region via a first channel, a second person detector which is configured to output a second position indicator relating to the person identified in the monitoring region via a second channel, and a diagnostic unit having first input for receiving the first position indicator, a second input for receiving the second position indicator, and a first output for a checked position indicator relating to the identified person and a second output for an error signal.
Claims10
A monitoring system, comprising:
- a first person detector which is configured to output a first position indicator relating to a person identified in a monitoring region via a first channel;
- a second person detector which is configured to output a second position indicator relating to the person identified in the monitoring region via a second channel;
- a diagnostic unit having:
- a first input for receiving the first position indicator;
- a second input for receiving the second position indicator;
- a first output for a checked position indicator relating to the identified person;
- and
- a second output for an error signal;
- and
- a decision unit which is connected to the first output, the second output and a third output and includes a machine list in which a machine location and a protection radius around the machine location are specified at least for a first machine;
- wherein the diagnostic unit is configured to check the first and second position indicators with respect to plausibility and to output these as the checked position indicator in an event that the first and second position indicators are reciprocally plausible, and is further configured to identify an error and to output the error signal at the second output in an event that the plausibility check fails;
- wherein the diagnostic unit includes a memory for a position tolerance which is output via the third output, the diagnostic unit being configured to, in the event of the failed plausibility check, consider a most recently checked position indicator as a center of a circle or a ball and the position tolerance as a radius of said circle or ball, and being configured to calculate a resulting circular area or sphere therefrom;
- wherein points of the circular area or sphere are output at the first output as a possible substitute position indicator;
- wherein the decision unit is further configured to, in cases of the circular area, rate resulting points of the circular curve as least favorable whereabouts of the identified person and to, in cases of the ball, rate resulting points of a ball surface as least favorable whereabouts of the identified person;
- and
- wherein the decision unit is further configured to, utilizing the least favorable whereabouts and data relating to the machine location with a protection radius of the first machine, determine a distance from the least favorable whereabouts to a boundary line or boundary area which is formed by the protection radius of the first machine, and further configured to trigger a safety function for the machine if a minimum distance is not satisfied.
13 more elements
A method for operating a monitoring system for identifying a position of a person, the method comprising:
- outputting, by a first person detector, a first position indicator relating to a person identified in a monitoring region via a first channel;
- outputting, by a second person detector, a second position indicator relating to the person identified in the monitoring region via a second channel;
- checking the first and second position indicators for plausibility and, in an event that the first and second position indicators are reciprocally plausible, providing the first and second position indicators as a checked position indicator;
- and
- identifying an error, in an event that the plausibility check fails, and outputting the error signal at the second output;
- wherein a via predeterminable position tolerance, in the event that the plausibility check fails, the most recently checked position indicator is defined as a center of a circle or a ball and the position tolerance is defined as a radius of the circle or the ball, and a resulting circular area or sphere is calculated therefrom, the points of the circular area or the sphere being provided as a possible substitute position indicator;
- wherein via a machine list in which a machine location and a protection radius around the machine location are specified at least for a first machine, in a case of the circular area resulting points of the circular curve are rated as least favorable whereabouts of the identified person, and in a case of the ball the resulting points of a ball surface are rated as least favorable whereabouts of the identified person;
- wherein the least favorable whereabouts and data relating to the machine location with a protection radius of the first machine are used to determine a distance from the least favorable whereabouts to a boundary line or boundary area which is formed by the protection radius, and a safety function for the machine is triggered if a minimum distance is not satisfied.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.