Product category:
Machine Safety Monitoring and Control
News Release from: Schmersal UK | Subject: Type ASM safety monitor
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 19 April 2002
First safety monitor for AS-i Safety at
Work bus
Schmersal is the first specialist manufacturer of safety equipment to offer an AS-i safety monitor that allows a wide range of safety components to connect to the AS-i Safety at Work fieldbus system.
Schmersal is the first specialist manufacturer of safety equipment to offer an AS-i safety monitor that allows a wide range of safety components to connect to the AS-i Safety at Work fieldbus system The new Type ASM safety monitor is the basic component that enables safety switching units such as emergency-stop switches, light barriers, solenoid interlocks, opto-electrical sensors etc, to be directly connected to plant and machinery using the familiar yellow AS-i cable
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 14 Mar 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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Existing AS-i assemblies can also be expanded to include the 'Safety at Work' functions.
Connecting safety components via the AS-i fieldbus saves time and money on installation and reduces the space required in the control panel.
Even the supply of auxiliary energy for the secure inputs is carried out via the AS interface.
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The comprehensive diagnosis facilities offered by the system also minimise machine down time by using the Type ASM to monitor data from all safety components transmitted via the AS-i network.
The Type ASM features one or two enabling circuits that are designed to be redundant, allowing it to switch plant to a safe condition if a safety circuit is actuated or a safety component defective.
Individual safety functions are programmed by means of "drag and drop" software.
The parameters are then transmitted to the Type ASM and protected by a password.
The transmission mechanism for safety-relevant applications is the same as the AS-i standard protocol.
Operation between the Type ASM and safety components is facilitated using a defined signal, which is sent for each master call-in.
The monitor evaluates the signal and opens the enabling circuits if there is a deviation from the required condition.
The reaction time for secure switch-off is 40ms maximum.
The AS-i Safety at Work network is suitable for safety applications up to Control Category 4 to EN954-1 and has been tested and approved by TUV safety standards authorities.
All products correspond to Euro Norm EN50295.
By late summer 2002 Schmersal will also offer a wide range of safety components with embedded chip technology that can eliminate the need for safety input modules.
This new development will further simplify wiring, increase system reliability and reduce installation costs.
Schmersal also stresses that, in order to meet the requirements of its customers worldwide it will not commit itself exclusively to the AS-i Bus Protocol.
The company's UK general manager Terry Hayward says the future of safety fieldbus is more likely to include several standards existing side by side and Schmersal designers will therefore continue tore work on the development of components for other open safety-relevant bus systems.
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