Safety Sine/Cosine Rotary Encoder Replaces Mechanical Safety Solutions

The new RVK58S sine/cosine rotary encoder provides a valuable service during the development of SIL3 and PLe-compliant drive solutions. Equipped with an additional absolute track for accurately detecting the position of rotors on motors, the sensor is ideal for applications of this kind.

The high-resolution sensor achieves 1024 increments per revolution and offers an added bonus in the form of an additional absolute track with precisely one period per revolution. The sensor provides information on the exact rotor position on the motor, which is required for start commutation in the case of synchronous motors. With a sine/cosine interface, SSI (Synchronous Serial Interface) and BiSS (Bidirectional sensor interface), the device uses existing communication paths and proprietary safety protocols are disposed of completely.

A special ASIC that is responsible for self-diagnosis is also used for signal conditioning. The supply voltage, temperature, LED activation and checksum of the calibration data are monitored. If a fault occurs, the integrated electronics switch the encoder outputs to high impedance, which means that the fault can be detected via lead breakage detection. The features of the new RVK58S rotary encoder make a significant contribution to simplifying the development of safe machines and render traditional concepts incorporating mechanical safety solutions superfluous.

The RVK58S fits seamlessly into the modern safety concept and allows machine constructors and system builders to provide proof of conformity with the Performance Level (PL) or Safety Integrity Level (SIL).