With the expansion of smart factories and the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, the importance of safety management for industrial robots has increased. However, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) face difficulties in adoptin...
With the expansion of smart factories and the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, the importance of safety management for industrial robots has increased. However, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) face difficulties in adopting expensive safety systems due to cost burdens. Therefore, this study proposes a low cost, high efficiency industrial robot safety management system based on the fusion of RFID and infrared distance sensors, designed for immediate application in SME environments.
The proposed system identifies the worker’s identity and authority using RFID, and subsequently distinguishes entry and exit directions using infrared distance sensors. In addition, by applying an access count based logic, the system is designed to maintain a warning state until all internal workers have exited, enabling accurate tracking of personnel. Notably, by adopting a modular mounting structure compatible with existing safety fences, the system allows general workers to easily install and maintain it, thereby minimizing the cost of introducing new systems.
Furthermore, to verify system performance, experiments on recognition distance according to RFID output power were conducted. Based on the experimental results, it was confirmed that stable operation is possible within a recognition range of approximately 1.6 to 2 meters, considering the door width and natural approach patterns of workers. The system proposed in this study complements the limitations of existing safety-systems and provides functions such as real time entry history management and visual warnings.
Consequently, it is expected to contribute to realizing the adoption of safety system in SMEs through realistic costs and simple operation methods.