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Kaleb_Rodes

Does "Active Drive" pass an ISO 13849-1 Category 3 Safety spec?

When Active Drive is enabled it is essentially putting the robot in free-drive mode. Unlike the releasing of the free-drive button on the teach pendant, there's no 'kill switch' to Active Drive besides disabling it on the toolbar.
JeanPhilippe_Jobin

@Kaleb_Rodes

Does "Active Drive" pass an ISO 13849-1 Category 3 Safety spec?
ISO 13849-1 "Category" is related to the type of architecture used for a specific "Performance Level". "Category 3" is usually refer to as an architecture for which a single fault would not lead to a lost of the "Safety Function". Hence, ActiveDrive by itself does not need to comply to ISO 13849-1 since this product is based on the Safety Fonctions and Architecture of UR, which complies to this standard (PL d). Note that I am not sure that UR makes any reference to Category 3 in its documentation (ref 1, ref 2).


When Active Drive is enabled it is essentially putting the robot in free-drive mode. 
No, when ActiveDrive is activated, the robot is NOT in free-drive mode. In fact, a UR program is started that controls the speed of the motors in function of the input at the Force-Torque Sensor (that's why we call this ActiveDrive instead of free-drive). In term of safety, this program is not different than any other program that runs on the UR, meaning that the "Limiting Safety-Related Functions" (joint speed or joint torque for instance) defined on the robot will ensure proper Safety. Therefor, it is very important that the "robot system" complies with  the new ISO/TS 15066 for which a proper Risk Assessment (RA) shall be done. Note that in the RA, ActiveDrive should be considered as any other mode of operation of the robot system (and any potential hasards should be addressed). Moreover, as far as the definition of ISO/TS 15066, ActiveDrive should be treated as a "Power and Force Limiting" collaborative operation rather than an "hand guiding" one, since the robot is in play mode (running a program) and since the safety is provided by the Power and Force Limiting Safety Functions of the robot.

Unlike the releasing of the free-drive button on the teach pendant, there's no 'kill switch' to Active Drive besides disabling it on the toolbar.
Yes and no. there are many ways to disable ActiveDrive, some more elegant than others but in emergency situation, we don't care about "style". Here are some:
  1. From the toolbar (this should be used in normal situation)
  2. Pressing stop button at the bottom of the Teach Pendant will stop the ActiveDrive "program".
  3. Pressing the red kill switch button on the Teach pendant will put the brakes on the robot and stop ActiveDrive.
  4. If the robot reach any of the Limiting Safety-Related Functions (joint torque for instance), the robot (and ActiveDrive) will stop.
If something is not clear, please let me know.