The idea of mowing a lawn without being present is not new. Some people have been dealing with this idea for quite some time and have also launched one or the other successful implementations for certain applications. With our idea we certainly do not reinvent the wheel, we rather use proven techniques and rely on the experience of our partners.
The path from the idea to the first prototype and on to the CE-certificate of a series product is often marked by unforeseen challenges. Nevertheless, the administrative effort is kept within limits if the milestones are given top priority. We implement all this as follows:
A team formed for this purpose has collected all conceivable hazards that could emanate from the autonomous vehicle in all its life cycles and its operating modes, carefully sorted them and since then they have been correspondingly recorded in a database. We then apply a risk assessment according to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, ensuring that all the details of the Machinery Directive have been taken into account. Measures are defined to minimise the risks that have to be implemented for the series product. In addition, the application of EN ISO 13849-1 results in a few remaining risks that cannot be sufficiently reduced either by mechanical modifications to the product or by informative or organisational measures; appropriate safety functions are defined. These are mapped in software developed for this purpose, SISTEMA (Sicherheit von Steuerungen an Maschinen; safety of control systems on machines), taking into account the safety components of the machine selected for this purpose. It is an iterative process that is repeated until the Performance Level required by the risk assessment is reached.
In addition to his safe product, the purchaser receives comprehensive documentation that he can use in all situations during the lifecycle of his autonomous lawnmower to find out about the details of the product on the one hand, and to avoid dangerous situations on the other.
With the right partners, such as those we have found in Stettbacher Signal Processing or SUVA in an advisory capacity, this process runs smoothly, and we can give the highest priority to our goals to be achieved.
Zvonko Gligorov, CTO
