openSAFETY - The world's first uniform safety standard now certified.

13-Aug-2010
For a long time now, the automation industry has been demanding a uniform standard for safety systems because the development of safety-related technology is very cost-intensive and the investment risk is high. With open-SAFETY, the Ethernet POWERLINK Standardization Group (EPSG) has now laid the foundation for the first completely open safety-related data communication protocol for all areas of automation. With communication cycles in the microsecond range, the TÜV Rhineland certified protocol guarantees the fastest response times and highest level of safety, and is suitable for use in systems rated up to SIL 4.

IEC Approval Granted
The fieldbus-independent openSAFETY protocol has been tested according to IEC 61784-3 FSCP 13 and approved by national IEC committees representing 27 countries including China, USA and Germany. It is therefore released for international standardisation.

Bus independent, safe, ready for use:
The first uniform safety solution for all communication systems. Because openSAFETY is bus independent, it can be used with all fieldbus systems or Industrial Ethernet systems. In order to demonstrate the interoperability of the safety solution with different protocols, the EPSG presented at the 2010 Hanover trade fair four different openSAFETY solutions, which were created using the currently most often implemented Industrial Ethernet protocols: SERCOS III, Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP and POWERLINK. Users of an Industrial Ethernet system other than POWERLINK now also have, for the fist time, a complete, certified safety solution available to them. Although other user organisations have been announcing the development of safety-related protocols for a long time, only the EPSG offers an operational product that runs on all transport protocols - openSAFETY.

The black channel principle
The complete black channel principle of openSAFETY is the basis for interoperability with arbitrary transport protocols. For the functionality of the safety protocol, it doesn't matter which transport protocol is used to transport the safety frames because all safety-related mechanisms are integrated exclusively on the application layer of the protocol and its functionality is thereby independent of the underlying transport layer. openSAFETY continually monitors all transferred data content to ensure that it is complete, that it has the correct transfer sequence and that the transfer duration is maintained. All transfer errors are re-corded immediately so that industry-specific communication solutions and even single-channel, non-safe transport networks can be used as the basis for communication without limitations.

Characteristics of openSAFETY
openSAFETY is characterised by three things: by the definition of data transport using an extremely flexible telegram format, by the integrated services for con-figuration and automatic parameter distribution, and in particular by a communication structure that achieves optimum machine productivity using cross traffic. The crucial advantage is the reduction of safety-relevant braking distances, which allows the safety margins to be ideally dimensioned and the machine cycles to be increased.

EPSG provides support for users
The EPSG actively supports the use of openSAFETY with arbitrary transport protocols and offers assistance for example with certification and conformance tests. The openness of openSAFETY is valid in both technical and legal aspects: The protocol is available for free download as open source software. The BSD license and the possibility for bus-independent application guarantee everyone that uses the technology the highest investment security and allow manufacturers and plant operators to clearly reduce development times.

Highlights at a glance:

•   A worldwide standard for all leading fieldbus systems
•   Highest level of productivity through direct communication
•   Reduce your service and commissioning times
•   Automatic safe parameter settings
•   Ideal for safe modular machine concepts
•   Only 100% open safety solution
•   The fastest IEC 61508 SIL3 communication solution
•   No risky investments: TÜV certified conformance test
•   Ideal for backplane bus systems

Company Background
The Ethernet POWERLINK Standardization Group (EPSG) is an independent organization founded in 2003 by leading companies from the drive and automation industry. Its aims are the standardisation and further development of POWERLINK, which was first introduced by B&R in 2001. The high-performance real-time communication system is a protocol extension of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard, designed to ensure real-time data transfer in the microsecond range. EPSG cooperates with leading standardisation organisations, such as CAN in automation (CiA) and the IEC. Anton Meindl, B&R's Business Manager for Controls, is director.

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