Glossary · System coordination, integration and orchestration
Mutual exclusion zone
Also known as: Interference zone, Exclusion zone
German: Gegenseitige Ausschlusszone
In robotics and automation, a mutual exclusion zone is a defined spatial area that only one machine, robot or carrier may occupy at a time; access is granted through a request and release mechanism, similar to a lock in software.
- System integration
In one sentence
A mutual exclusion zone is an area only one robot, machine or carrier may occupy at a time, managed through request and release signals.
Example
Two robots loading the same conveyor each request the interference zone above it; the second robot waits until the first reports that it has left the zone.
How it applies
- Engineering: Define each zone geometrically and assign a lock variable or signal pair. Requests must be atomic, so two robots can never both believe they own the zone. Plan for timeouts and for a robot that stops inside the zone.
- Commissioning: Verify zone boundaries against the real robot paths, including tool dimensions and payload, and test simultaneous requests.
- Safety: A mutual exclusion zone prevents collisions between machines. It is not a safeguard for people; zones where people and machines meet are handled by safety functions and safeguarding, see Shared safety zone and Hazardous zone.
- Documentation: List the zones and their owners in the cell documentation, and explain in the service instructions how to release a zone manually after a fault.
Mutual exclusion zone vs. shared safety zone
A mutual exclusion zone keeps machines out of each other's way. A Shared safety zone is an area where people and machines may both be present and where safety-rated functions control the risk.