Safeguarding of an automated assembly process using a Balanced Decoupling Unit and the HRC switching mode

Human-Robot-Collaboration (HRC) means in common cases, that a fenceless robot application with force and power limitation is set-up. This paper details such a HRC concept for an automated assembly process and investigates the specific requirements according to the use-case. The first aim of the paper is to describe how a non-collaborative robot is enabled for a HRC application. Therefore, the paper describes the used and implemented HRC technologies and components. Based on the requirements of the use-case, the paper describes how a Balanced Decoupling Unit (BDU) is functional extended and adjusted to perform the assembly process. The second aim is to introduce a HRC switching mode and how this mode can increase the performance of the system. The paper closes with the validation results of the BDU collision measurements and performance test.