have to work overtime due to overproduction, or there is a need

APPLICATION OF SPEED AND to recruit additional staff at a time [Vysocky 2016].

At present, the application of collaborative robotic systems in
SEPARATION MONITORING the automotive industry has increased dramatically, especially
on assembly lines. Many industries and application areas were
TECHNIQUE AT automated, although there are still many challenges in
implementing this type of automation that remain unsolved.
AUTOMATED ASSEMBLY Many tasks have a repetitive nature in automated workplaces,
such as screwing or precise placement of objects. The idea of
collaborative workplaces is to fill the gap between manual and
PROCESS fully automated processes. Collaborative robotic systems can be
MAREK VAGAS, ALENA GALAJDOVA a solution to help the operator perform complex repetitive tasks.
Robotic systems can help operators share tasks and increase
Technical University of Kosice, Faculty of Mechanical productivity, leading to improved efficiency and safe
Engineering, Department of Automation and Human- performance [Pires, 2019]. Collaborative workplaces at the same
Machine Interactions, Slovakia time and space have many hazards and risks related to operator
DOI: 10.17973/MMSJ.2021_6_2021036 safety. For this purpose, ISO has described four different
[email protected] scenarios (TS 15066) to increase security with this type of robotic
system:
The realization and implementation of a collaborative robotic
A. Safety Monitored Stop. In this case, the robot usually works
system in the automotive industry has many advantages in
alone and stops when the operator enters its workspace. This
productivity, product quality, and worker ergonomics, but
collaboration feature is suitable when a worker performs a
worker safety aspects play a crucial role in these activities. This
precise operation on a workpiece while the robot is still working
paper presents the results of ongoing research into developing
on it.
an automated workplace for an assembly of industrial limit
B. Hand Guiding. The operator who leads the movements of the
switches based on the cooperation between human and robotic
robotic system shows its trajectories by guiding his hands. This
systems. Operating speed and worker-robot separation
type of collaboration allows for faster path learning without
monitoring methodology (SSM) was used as one of the available
programming the robotic system. It is especially suitable for
methods to reduce the risk of injury according to the technical
small production or tasks that are difficult to automate.
specification ISO 15066 on collaborative method sharing space
C. Speed and Separation Monitoring. In this case, the robotic
with humans. The virtual environment simulation aims to
system adapts its speed relative to the operator’s location in the
determine the SSM algorithm’s parameters to estimate the
shared workspace. Three safety zones are defined (green,
minimum protective distance between the robot and the
yellow, red), and a vision system or sensor controls the
operator. The cooperation between the human and the robot
operator’s position. If the operator is closer, the robotic system
and the safety issues specified by the SSM system assumed
works slower. When the operator is too close to the robotic
operational safety and reduced the operator fatigue during the
system (i.e., in the red zone), the robotic system stops.
assembly process.
D. Power and Force Limiting. These robotic systems use limited
power and force to feature an embedded and programmable
KEYWORDS
electromechanical system that allows control forces and torques
Speed and Separation Monitoring, Robotic System, Assembly
to operate within an acceptable level of risk in all reasonably
Process, Simulation, Safety
foreseeable modes. These robotic systems can work with
humans without the need for additional safety devices
1 INTRODUCTION (considering risk assessment).
In the industrial field, man and the robotic system usually work
separately to avoid collisions. Applications that reduce potential 2 SPEED AND SEPARATION MONITORING TECHNIQUE
human error are ideally suited to an industrial automated
We achieve the different safety zones by this type of
system. The robotic system makes it easier to reach hard
collaboration delimited in the robotic system workspace. Certain
reachable places, achieves incomparable accuracy and speed,
zones allow maximum speed for the robotic system, although
and relieves people from repetitive work. On the other hand,
some zones will require lower velocities due to the potential
man is more flexible and adaptable to new or adverse situations
proximity of the operator. Other zones stop the robotic system
and has incomparable sensorimotor capabilities used in other
completely, usually because the operator is very close to the
sectors (such as surgery, orthopedics, and others). The constant
robotic system. Restoring the working cycle is automatic. Such
development and growing trend in robotics are shifting from the
separation distance violations are not recorded statistically in
individual and local deployment of industrial robotic systems to
the control system. The monitoring of the safety zone is
the group building of a collaborative workplace of type person
performed by various monitoring systems, primarily by sight or
vs. robot, the most commonly in SMEs. The automation of these
a sensor [Vagas 2016]. The safety zone can be of any size and
enterprises is often lower than MAS enterprises.
geometry. The user sets different zones and assigns additional
The main reasons for the deployment of these workplaces
acceleration and speed settings to these zones to ensure that the
include increasing the degree of competitiveness, especially if
robotic arm does not harm the operator under any conditions.
we need the short life of the final product and excessively high
It can happen when collaboration between humans and robots
costs for fully automated robotic systems. Replacing hard and
is not constant and when the robotic arm will work alone, at full
lengthy manual work of a person with flexible, cooperative work
speed most of the time. Doing so can speed up the assembly
meets the requirements of capable and skillful employees, who
process and still allow operator-robot collaboration. For
can then cope with more qualitative thought tasks. Other side
example, in the case of screwing with the robotic arm, the
effects include excessive customer demands when employees
container must be filled by the operator while the robotic arm

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still performs its process. However, we must consider the 𝑆ℎ = 1,6 × (𝑇𝑟 + 𝑇𝑠 ) (4)
following conditions:
A. Maintaining the minimum protective separation distance The added safety distance for the reaction time of the robotic
between the operator and robotic system at all times. system Sr is as follows:
B. Using of requires protective devices to determine the 𝑡 +𝑇𝑟
approach (reduction of the protective distance). 𝑆𝑟 = ∫𝑡 0 𝑣𝑟 (𝑡)𝑑𝑡 (5)
0
C. Reducing the speed (from a safety point of view) to maintain
a minimum protective distance. The constant value for Sr can be estimated as follows:
D. If we cannot guarantee the minimum safety distance, a safety 𝑆𝑟 = 𝑣(𝑡0 ) × 𝑇𝑟 (6)
stop is required.
The equation for calculating the minimum protective distance The added safe distance for the braking distance Ss is given by:
for cooperation between human and robotic systems based on 𝑡 +𝑇 +𝑇𝑆
ISO/TS 15066 is an extended version defined in ISO 13855 to 𝑆𝑆 = ∫𝑡 0+𝑇 𝑟 𝑣𝑟 (𝑡)𝑑𝑡 (7)
0 𝑟
determine the protective distance for non-mobile machines.
According to the ISO/TS15066, the minimum protective Ss values can explain the ISO 102018-1 standard. For sufficient
distance, (S), at the time (t0) is from the formula: protection at time t0, the measured protection distance S must
𝑆𝑝 (𝑡0 ) = 𝑆ℎ + 𝑆𝑟 + 𝑆𝑆 + 𝐶 + 𝑍𝑑 + 𝑍𝑟 (1) be greater than or at most equal to the minimum protective
distance Sp:
Where Sp is the minimum protective distance; t0 is the „now“ 𝑆𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 = (𝑡0 ) ≥ 𝑆𝑝 (𝑡0 ) (8)
time; Sh is the extra distance to change the position of the
operator’s; Sr is the added distance for the reaction time of the The graph of the robotic system stopping use its speed and
robotic system; SS is the added distance for the braking distance distance from the operator can be seen in Figure 1.
of the robotic system; C is the distance of the body part of the
operator in the direction of the danger area of the robotic
system before the reaction of the safety element (prescribed
distance according to ISO 13855); Zd is the positional uncertainty
of the operator in the cooperating space (measured by the
sensing device and its measurement tolerance); Zr is the
positional uncertainty of the robotic system (resulting from the
accuracy of measuring the position of the robotic system) [ISO
TS 15066, 2016].
We use the linearized form of equation (1) to calculate the
minimum allowable distance S between the human and robotic
system under static conditions.
𝑆 = (𝑣ℎ × 𝑇𝑟 + 𝑣ℎ × 𝑇𝑠 ) + (𝑣𝑟 × 𝑇𝑟 ) + 𝐵 + 𝐶 (2)

where vh is the speed of operation, including direction to the

robotic system in the shared space (speed may be positive or
negative, depending on whether the separation distance
increases or decreases); Tr is the reaction time of the robotic
system (including the time required to detect the position of the
operator, processing this signal, activating the stop of the robotic Figure 1. The graph of the robotic system stop based on its speed and
system, but the stop time itself is not counting); TS is the time distance from the operator [ISO/TS 15066 2016]
required to stop the robotic system when the stop signal is
activated (it is not a constant, but a function of the robotic
3 EXPERIMENTS AND RESULTS
system configuration, planned movement, speed, and load); vr is
the speed of the robotic system (including its direction towards Assembly activities are an integral part of automated processes
the operator in the shared space, and maybe positive if it where collaborative robots are the crucial part. Our logical step
approaches the operator, or negative if it moves away from the was the experimental verification of such tasks in laboratory
operator); B is the braking path of the robotic system, which conditions on such an assembly object, which can be
contains Zd + Zr manufactured, used, and put into practice. Future research
The value Sp (t0) dynamically calculates the safe separation expects to deploy this solution into similar automated
distance. It allows the value of distance to vary depending on the workplaces to assembly activities.
speed, but we can use it as a fixed value in the worst case. The sequence of the assemblies is an integral part of process
Formula (1) considers the combination of moving parts of the planning. Its role in the initial phase of product design is crucial
robotic system and the operator in the shared workspace. The for optimizing the manufacturability of the product and the
nearest part of the robotic arm and the operator can move away design process itself [Hricko 2018]. It plays a fundamental role in
from each other, while another part of the robotic system can both product assembly and process assembly. The existence of a
move closer to the operator. The added safety distance for feasible assembly sequence confirms the reliability of the body
changing the position of the operator Sh is as follows: for the product. The assembly of the industrial limit switch
𝑡 +𝑇𝑟 +𝑇𝑠 consists of several steps, Figure 2.
𝑆ℎ = ∫𝑡 0 𝑣ℎ (𝑡)𝑑𝑡 (3)
0

Where “t” is the variable for the mathematic integration.

The constant value for Sh at an estimated human velocity of 1.6
m.s-1 can be as:

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 evaluation of the resulting load on the human. The motion
generated in this way is beneficial, especially for assembly tasks.
The combination of standardized motion elements and the
calculation of individual body movements reduce the effort
required to develop a simulation study.
The human speed (vh) is variable between 1600mm.s-1 to
2000mm.s-1. For greater safety, the maximum speed of human
movement (vh = 2000mm.s-1) and the maximum velocity of the
robotic system (vr = 250mm.s-1) are selected based on ISO/TS
13855. The minimum separation distance (Table 1) according to
the following equation (2):
Type Value

human speed vh = 2m/s

velocity of robotic system vh = 0.25m/s
the reaction time of the robotic system Tr = 0.21s
time required to stop the robotic system Ts = 0.25s
robotic system stopping distance B = 0.0625m
distance of the operator’s body part C = 0.9m

Table 1. Calculation of minimum separation distance

𝑆 = ((2 × 0.41) + (0.25 × 0.5)) + (0.25 × 0.41) +

(0.0625) + (0.9) = 1.49𝑚 (9)
Using the small 2D laser scanner S300 mini, we monitor three
safety zones (one is protective and two are warning) which are
programmable using software CDS connected to a computer.
Figure 2. Assembly sequence of the product
The advantage is setting various parameters, such as the zone’s
Process simulation allows you to design and simulate complex shape, the range of scanning zones, the response, and many
production zones that are in a shared workspace. others (Figure 4).
Synchronization of robotic zones using simulation tools
simplifies processes such as evaluating cyclic events and the
control emulator of a specific robotic system [Velisek 2017].
Robotics simulation tools allow all robots to design a collision-
free operation and optimize their cycle time. In addition to
collision detection and prevention, the human model’s
movement sequence is also evaluating during the simulation for
ergonomics purposes (Figure 3).

Figure 4. Location of 2D laser scanner under the workbench within the

cooperative workplace
Collaborative safety in the workplace is based on the support
and use of the robotic system control functions, specifically
Figure 3. Cooperation between robot and operator during the assembly
“speed Limit” - restriction of robot speed (by warning field 2),
process Figure 5. The safety also ensures the function “Hold” -
suspension of the robotic system - characterized by warning field
This evaluation principle uses the observation of body postures 1. Outputs of the laser scanner zone use the external digital
described by combining all joint positions of the human model. inputs of the robotic system, according to the available
The obtaining of the joint coordinates and motion data is documentation and schemes of the manufacturer.
possible through the human simulation. Then follows the

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 Figure 5. Proposed 2D laser scanner security zones

Based on the concept of a cooperative workplace, the actual

proposal will construct. Workplace requirements consider the
mechanical, electrical, and software structure and the ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
implementation of the robot’s communication interface [Nemec This work supports the project VEGA 1/0330/19 Research and
2019]. In connection with mechanical construction, some design of algorithms and systems for the fusion of
necessary mechanical interfaces are designed and heterogeneous data in multisensor architectures.
manufactured.
When the distance returns to a length more significant than the
calculated distance, the robotic system resumes operation. REFERENCES
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CONTACTS:
movement, the robotic system stops immediately. When the
length returns to a larger than the calculated distance, the Assoc. Prof. Marek Vagas
robotic system resumes operation. However, in a shared space TUKE, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
where the human and robotic systems work together, it is always Department of Automation and Human-Machine Interactions
necessary to use the most advanced sensors to reduce the risk Park Komenskeho 8, 042 01 Kosice, Slovakia
of injuries. e-mail: [email protected]

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