Safety Guaranteed.
Safe Absolute Linear Positioning.
Robust systems for precise absolute positioning—even in challenging environments.
Safe Absolute Linear Positioning Systems up to SIL 3/PL e
Whether stacker cranes in intralogistics, electric monorail systems in automotive manufacturing, fully automated production systems or gantry cranes in container ports—precise position data and exact positioning are essential for their automated operation. To protect both humans and autonomously operating machines, Pepperl+Fuchs offers several positioning systems that combine maximum precision and safety. The absolute linear positioning systems safePXV, safePXV/PUS, and safeWCS/PUS guarantee safe position and speed detection up to SIL 3 and PL e, even in harsh environmental conditions.
Highlights
The Benchmark for Rugged Positioning: safeWCS/PUS
The WCS absolute positioning system consists of a read head in a robust housing and a code rail made of stainless steel or laminate. For safety-related positioning applications, Pepperl+Fuchs combines the advantages of the WCS with a safe evaluation unit (Position Unit Safe, PUS). Two safeWCS/PUS read heads are mounted one behind the other on the code rail. To ensure separate redundant signaling, one read head is parameterized with a connector plug pointing in the direction of travel and one is installed in the opposite direction.
The evaluation unit acts as a safe gateway to the fieldbus: it processes the redundant signals from the safeWCS/PUS read heads, generates a safe position value and derives a safe speed value from this. In addition to the safe and non-safe data, the evaluation unit also transmits diagnostic data and uses the common safety protocol Fail Safe over EtherCAT® (FSoE) to implement functional safety with EtherCAT. Due to its robust design, the safeWCS/PUS is particularly suitable for use in harsh environmental conditions.
Complete Process Reliability over Long Distances: safePXV/PUS
The safePXV/PUS safe absolute linear positioning system is based on the combination of a read head, a multicolored Data Matrix code tape and a safe evaluation unit. With its two-color illumination, the safePXV read head makes the codes visible and reads them. Due to the large reading window, it always reads several Data Matrix codes at once. This makes the system particularly resistant to interference.
The safe evaluation unit processes and evaluates the redundant signals from the safePXV/PUS read head and transmits them to the safe control system. In addition to the safe position and speed values as well as non-safe data, it also outputs diagnostic data. As the code tape can be up to 10,000 m long, the safePXV/PUS is especially suitable for long distances that require safe absolute positioning up to SIL 3/PL e.
Safe with Just One Sensor: safePXV
The safePXV positioning system allows safe absolute positioning up to SIL 3/PL e with just one sensor. It combines a 2-D read head with multicolored Data Matrix codes and is already redundant in itself. The two-color illumination of the read head makes only one part of the code information visible at a time, which is evaluated and compared separately. The large reading window enables additional redundancy by always reading several of the already redundant codes at once. This means that reliable position data is available even if the codes are dirty or damaged.
The integrated safety component continuously checks the correct functioning of the camera software. The safePXV algorithm checks the plausibility of the data directly in the sensor, so that the safe control system (SPSS) already receives validated data.
Application Examples
Port facilities are exposed to wind, weather, corrosion, and mechanical stress. The safeWCS/PUS positioning system makes safe absolute positioning up to SIL 3/PL e even in such harsh environmental conditions possible. With its robust outdoor protective housing with IP69 degree of protection, it is sealed against moisture and can also withstand salt water and salty air near the sea. This makes it ideal for safely and reliably positioning trolleys, for example, and ensuring efficient loading processes.
In modern pallet warehouses, autonomous shuttles are used that require precise guidance and exact positioning. At the same time, people, the environment, and system components must be safely protected from collisions. The safePXV/PUS safe positioning system reliably detects the position and speed of the vehicles, therefore creating an essential basis for functional safety. The safePXV/PUS is also an ideal solution for applications such as electric monorail systems or storage and retrieval machines when it comes to safe positioning.
To ensure smooth processes in push skid systems, avoid interruptions and thereby enable safe operation, the skids must be positioned with high precision. The intrinsically redundant safePXV positioning system reliably provides safe positioning data for such applications at all times. It also allows for tight curve radii as well as inclines and declines. Like all absolute linear positioning systems from Pepperl+Fuchs, the safePXV read head is noncontact, has no moving parts, and is maintenance-free. The self-adhesive code tape is simply attached.
Contact Us
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More Information
Downloads
- Safety Guaranteed. Safe Absolute Linear Positioning Systems up to SIL 3/PL e. Product information (PDF)
Pepperl+Fuchs Inc.
1600 Enterprise Parkway
Twinsburg, OH 44087
United States of America
sales@us.pepperl-fuchs.com
+1 330 425-3555