Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1442859
Texas Instruments The Future of Robotics | 35 Learn More Learn More TPS27S100x Smart High-Side Switch TPS2663x Surge Protection Industrial eFuses Added Protection Never Hurts Safeguards are critical for industrial robots, as they are for humans. Without measures and tools to prevent and design against power surges and overvoltages, the robotic equipment is at higher risk for fatigue, maintenance, and downtime. TI's TPS27S100x Surge Protection Industrial eFuse is a high- performing example of an addition to an industrial robot application that should help with quality, reliability, and operating costs. The TPS2663x Smart High-Side Switch provides the overvoltage and surge protection while offering diagnostics information and flexible current ranges. The products integrate with microprocessor and sensor control systems, ensuring the data collected dictates how the safeguards engage without compromising system performance. When properly installed, these measures are transparent to industrial robot operation. They provide guardrails for the equipment to operate while reducing the risk of accidents because of the hazard scenarios outlined above. Facility owners sometimes balk at the thought of adding safeguarding equipment for their industrial robots, rationalizing that the machines are already programmed to address safety. True, programming has advanced exponentially in recent years. But the approach fails to consider external factors that impact safe operation, such as environmental hazards and power- system accidents. Conclusion The two TI products earlier mentioned highlight the need to incorporate a solution to add safeguards to robot operation. Identifying a supply partner with the capability and expertise to provide a solution that matches the application's specific nuances offers the facility's highest value. The TI eFuse and smart-switch products augment robotic safeguards' inclusion to reduce facility overhead cost. With the safety and cost benefits, the solutions also improve reliability and extend the equipment's life span. Humans have incorporated—and often regulated as safeguards—seat belts, airbags, traffic signals, and crosswalks. Although not a comprehensive list, these safety measures highlight that the driving experience uncovers circumstances and factors that engineers can actively or passively address. To that point, industrial robots can add the diagnostic reporting and analysis provided by the smart-switch and surge/overvoltage protection from an eFuse. Both safeguards help to mitigate the risk of environmental or power system hazards. With an experienced partner such as TI, a robust commercial solution already exists to adapt the smart switches and eFuses to specific industrial robotic applications, protecting both humans or workers and automated equipment from everyday hazards. ■