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Department of Engineering, ICT and Technologies for Energy and Transport Patent Title Safety device for the safe use of industrial apparatuses and robots, and control method for realtime verification of the kinematic state values of a robotized apparatus. Ref. CNR 10157 Assignee(s): CNR CNR Institute: ITIA Main Inventor: Federico Vicentini Countries: IT, EP Priority date: 28/09/2010 Abstract The method validates motion figures of mechanisms with sensors (e.g. robots) through inertial platforms for purpose of safety of machinery. The functional safety (EN ISO 13489) for robots or similar devices involves the verification of reliability and the monitoring of control signals to ensure full (> 99%) detection of failures. The method introduces a functional redundancy to the system through external sensors, which are applied to the machine, capable of providing an equivalent information. Instantaneous kinematics inconsistencies are identified in highly dynamic phenomena (eg. Motors runaways), despite the presence of drif errors in the integration of sensor signals. In absence of true reference signals/data (ground truth), both channels are subjected to functional testing, reducing the probability of not detecting data discrepancies. Background The invention refers to robot safety equipment and technology. The verification of kinematic signals for the purpose of safety is required in line and along trajectories not known a priori. Known applications include safety­checks through the verification of robot motion belonging to intervals recorded before motion execution; while the use of inertial platforms is known for motion tracking and the verification of safety thresholds, it is not known for the purposes of functional safety (not usable in validation/certification). Technology The method uses generic unsafe channels, related to different sensors, for the cross­verification of safety­ critical data. The comparison, running on dedicated certified devices, verifies the integrity and consistency of such data. The verification method allows the usage of the very same data for zeroing the errors of inertial platforms, preserving the reliability of the following step of the calculation. Advantages and Applications The invention can be used as a safety equipment added to devices lacking of safety properties and are used in collaborative robotic applications. The main advantages are the independent external configuration as an auxiliary system component, the ability to rapidly detect hazardous phenomena and the simplicity of the procedure for resetting all drif errors. Development stage A prototype algorithm (calculation and logical verification for error zeroing) on experimental platform (robot, inertial sensor, CPU safe (ISO 13489 PLe) and not safe) is available. Afer patent filing, functional safety in data transfer protocols has been completed. 109