Assisted safety test execution linking E-CAD and test management with augmented reality

In the field of versatile machines and unique machine construction, work on the often heterogeneous and very different systems places particularly high demands on the professional competence of the commissioning and maintenance personnel employed. Besides, legal changes require annual inspections, e.g., of plant safety at the customer's site. In order to cope with these increased demands on staff and to enable testing to be carried out by less specialized staff, innovative technical methods are required to support the user throughout the entire test creation and test execution workflow. The basis for the preparation and execution of safety tests are engineering documents such as circuit diagrams, documentation for safety verification and safety circuits.In this article, we present methods that enable a broad spectrum of on-site personnel to perform periodically recurring safety tests on automated production lines independently, intuitively, and interactively. In order to carry out the tests, it is necessary to support test personnel, e.g., utilizing augmented reality in their orientation on the system. In contrast to traditional augmented reality concepts requiring explicit test models, all necessary data is extracted directly from existing electrical design documents. Assistance for the personnel consists, for example, in simplified navigation in the electrical plant plans as well as in the plant itself, e.g., with the help of the operating equipment position plan or by connecting the test manager to the electrical CAD system. An essential component of user guidance is the efficient and unambiguous identification and information retrieval of system components required for test stimulation or test observation.