Robot Reliability and Safety

1 Introduction.- 1.1. History of Robots.- 1.2. Brief History of Robot Reliability and Safety.- 1.3. Terms and Definitions.- 1.4. Scope of the Book.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 2 Introduction to Reliability and Safety.- 2.1. Introduction.- 2.2. Reliability and Safety-Related Terms and Definitions.- 2.3. Organizations Concerned with Reliability or Safety, or Both.- 2.4. Reliability and Safety Periodicals and Conferences.- 2.5. Reliability and Safety-Related Data Sources.- 2.6. Selective Texts on Reliability and Safety.- 2.7. Reliability.- 2.8. Safety.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 3 Introduction to Robotics.- 3.1. Introduction.- 3.2. Some Attributes of Robots Available Commercially, Major Users of Industrial Robots in Japan, and the United States’ Robot Estimates by Application.- 3.3. Robotics Research and Robot Application Areas.- 3.4. Advantages of and Motivations for Using Robots, and Arguments Against Robots.- 3.5. Comparisons of Humans with Machines, Generations of Robots, and Robot Qualities Being Sought by Roboticists.- 3.6. Areas of Commonly Asked Questions by Potential Robot Users, Factors for Using Robots Instead of Humans, and Rules and Procedures for Introducing Robots.- 3.7. Robot Classifications, Production Robots, and Robot Structure Categories.- 3.8. Robot Mechanical Design Decisions and Useful Guidelines, and Important Physical and Operational Characteristics Vital for Robot Selection and Design.- 3.9. Robot Public Relation Guidelines.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 4 Robot Accidents.- 4.1. Introduction.- 4.2. Real-Life Examples of Robot Accidents.- 4.3. Robot Accidents in Japan, Western Europe, and the United States.- 4.4. Causes and Characteristics of Robot Accidents.- 4.5. Effects of Robot Accidents and Periods Off Work Due to Robot Accidents.- 4.6. Robot Accidents at Manufacturer and User Sites.- 4.7. Robot Accident Analysis and Prevention.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 5 Fundamentals of Robot Safety.- 5.1. Introduction.- 5.2. Robotic Safety Problems and Hazards, and the Use of Robots to Promote Safety.- 5.3. Weak Points in Planning and Design, and Operations Causing Safety Problems.- 5.4. The Manufacturer’s and User’s Role in Robot Safety.- 5.5. Safety Considerations in Robot Design, Installation, Programming, and Operation and Maintenance.- 5.6. Robot Safeguard Methods.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 6 Topics in Robot Safety.- 6.1. Introduction.- 6.2. Robot Safety Education.- 6.3. Safety Considerations in Robot Testing and Start-Up, Commissioning, and Acceptance.- 6.4. Safety Considerations in Robot Welding Operations.- 6.5. Robot Safety in the Automobile Industry.- 6.6. Stopping Grippers of Industrial Robots Not Dropping/Throwing Work Items When Experiencing Energy Loss or Not Gripping on the Return of Energy.- 6.7. Robot Standardization and Safety Standards.- 6.8. Robot Safety Research.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 7 Human Factors in Robotics.- 7.1. Introduction.- 7.2. Robots Versus Humans.- 7.3. Human Factors’ Issues During the Factory Integration of Robotic Systems.- 7.4. Built-in Human Biases and Some Design Improvement Guidelines for Improving Robot Operator Comfort and Productivity.- 7.5. Benefits and Drawbacks of Robotization from the Standpoint of Human Factors and Rules of Robotics with Respect to Humans.- 7.6. Humans at Risk from Robots and Guidelines for Safeguarding the Operator and the Teacher.- 7.7. Human Factors’ Considerations to Robotic Safety.- 7.8. Training for Reducing Human Error in Robotics and Human Error Data in Robotics.- 7.9. Reliability Analysis of a Robot System with Human Error.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 8 Robot Reliability.- 8.1. Introduction.- 8.2. Robot-Related Failure Terms, Robot Failures, and Literature on Robot Reliability.- 8.3. General Categories of Robot Failure and Their Protection.- 8.4. Types of Robot Halts and Warm Restarts.- 8.5. Robot Effectiveness and Hazard Detectors Fail-Safe Design.- 8.6. Robot Reliability Surveys and Guidelines for Developing a Robot Reliability Standard.- 8.7. Robot Reliability Measures.- 8.8. Reliability Analyses of Electric and Hydraulic Robots.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 9 Robot Maintenance.- 9.1. Introduction.- 9.2. General Maintenance Functions and Types of Maintenance.- 9.3. Robot Maintenance Needs and Types.- 9.4. Robot Parts and Special Tools for Maintenance and Repair.- 9.5. Robot Warranty Coverage and Preventive Maintenance Kits.- 9.6. Robot Inspection.- 9.7. Some Guidelines for Safeguarding Robot Maintenance Personnel.- 9.8. Some Models Useful in Performing Robot Maintenance.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 10 Failure Data and Analysis.- 10.1. Introduction.- 10.2. Uses of Failure Data with Respect to Robots.- 10.3. Failure Reporting and Documentation System for Robots.- 10.4. Reliability Data Sources.- 10.5. An Approach for Establishing an Event Data Bank, the Failure Report Form, and Major Difficulties Associated with Failure Recording.- 10.6. Robot Inspection and Repair Records.- 10.7. Documents, Banks, and Organizations for Obtaining Failure Data for Robot Reliability Studies.- 10.8. Failure Data for Selected Items and Tasks.- 10.9. Hazard Plotting Method.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 11 Robot Economics.- 11.1. Introduction.- 11.2. Factors for Installing Robots and Advantages of Robotization.- 11.3. Cost of Installing Robots and Their Economic Benefits.- 11.4. Basic Robot Economic Techniques.- 11.5. Methods for Making Robot Financial Decisions.- 11.6. Robot Life Cycle Costing.- 11.7. Robot Associated Cost Estimation Models.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- 12 Robot Testing and Information Related to Robots.- 12.1. Introduction.- 12.2. Robot Performance Testing.- 12.3. Robot Reliability Testing.- 12.4. Selective Mathematical Models.- 12.5. Robot Specifications.- 12.6. General Information on Robots.- Summary.- Problems.- References.- APPENDIX Bibliography of Literature on Robot Reliability and Safety and on Related Areas.- A.1. Introduction.- A.2. Robot Reliability and Safety.- A.3. Robot Maintenance.- A.4. Robot Economics.- A.5. Miscellaneous.