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Reliable RFID Access Control for Inspection Robots

At the BASF plant in Antwerp, a four-legged inspection robot ensures the safety of the water treatment plant – and Turck's RFID solution ensures its reliable access to the charging station

In order to make inspection processes safer and more efficient, BASF relies on an autonomous inspection robot at its Antwerp site, which independently carries out important monitoring tasks. An RFID solution from Turck Multiprox ensures that the robot dog can access its “charging kennel” and at the same time protects this space from unauthorized access – with Turck's UHF RFID reader and the compact TBEN-S RFID interface.

  • The robot's ID is read as soon as it enters the detection range of the TN865-Q120

  • TBEN-S module programmed with ARGEE logic software continuously sends read requests for robot detection

  • Tom Delbecque | Innovation expert at BASF 

  • Once the robot has docked, TBEN-S RFID interface initiates the closing of the door to the charging area

  • Turck's TN865-Q120 UHF reader reliably detects the robot from a distance of up to 1.5 meters

BASF SE, headquartered in Ludwigshafen, operates in over 90 countries and supplies a wide range of industries with a broad portfolio ranging from chemicals, plastics and finishing products right through to plant protection products. The Antwerp plant, the largest chemical production site in Belgium and the second largest within the BASF Group worldwide, plays a central role in this. The facility benefits from its strategic location close to the port of Antwerp, which enables efficient raw material and production logistics as well as good connections to the European infrastructure. 

To increase the safety and efficiency of the inspection processes in the extensive water treatment plant, BASF relies on the four-legged inspection robot “Spot” from Boston Dynamics. Equipped with a large number of sensors and cameras, the robot carries out inspection tasks autonomously, helping to optimize operating processes and ensure the highest safety standards.

The water treatment system is crucial for compliance with environmental regulations and ensuring trouble-free operation. Employees previously had to regularly check the systems in person and measure values at numerous checkpoints in order to avoid breaches of environmental regulations and identify the emergence of technical problems at an early stage. These time-consuming, repetitive tasks are now performed by the inspection robot: it carries out three inspection rounds a day at 150 checkpoints on eight different routes. Data such as the temperature of pumps and motors, oil levels or possible leaks are recorded accurately and reliably. With the help of artificial intelligence, the robot recognizes deviations from the target status and then automatically triggers an alarm. The robot dog works round the clock and returns to its station after each inspection round to recharge its battery. 

Secure access control through RFID technology

To ensure that the inspection robot has unrestricted access to the charging area at all times and that unauthorized persons are reliably excluded, Tom Delbecque, project manager at BASF, set out to find a system that would automatically open the door of the station exclusively for the robot. The decision was made in favor of a smart RFID solution, which was developed in close cooperation with long-standing partner Turck Multiprox. Alternative approaches such as optical or radar-based systems proved to be inadequate, as they reacted to every movement and could therefore open the door unintentionally. “With this application, we were fortunately able to rely on the experience of the Turck Multiprox employees, who quickly came to the conclusion that an RFID solution would be ideal here”, explains Tom Delbecque.

Turck's TN865-Q120 UHF RFID reader reliably detects the inspection robot with its range of up to 1.5 meters. The robot dog wears an RFID tag with a unique identifier that is read as soon as it enters the reader's detection range. A TBEN-S2 RFID interface with integrated ARGEE logic control continuously sends read requests to the reader in order to identify the robot at all times. The door opens automatically once this has been successfully completed. After the inspection robot has docked at the charging station, the TBEN-S2 module initiates the automatic closing of the door to protect the charging station from unauthorized access. The system experts from Turck Multiprox created this control logic directly in Turck's ARGEE programming environment on the TBEN-S2-2RFID interface. 

Optimized security and efficiency through RFID technology

For BASF in Antwerp, the RFID-based access solution is an efficient way to automate inspection processes. Precise detection of the robot dog and automatic access control reliably protect the charging area from unauthorized access. The robust design of the components used and the high IP67 protection rating also ensure stable operation in the challenging industrial environment. Especially in times of high demand for skilled workers, this solution shows how companies can use intelligent automation to relieve employees of time-consuming, repetitive tasks without risking compromises in terms of operational safety or environmental protection.

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