Safety First
Three-way collaboration for safety networking standard
Three well-known names from the automation sector - Rockwell Automation,
Omron and Sick - have announced that they are to collaborate on the
development of an open protocol for safety communications. Based on the
existing Control and Information Protocol (CIP) fund in DeviceNet,
ControlNet and Ethernet/IP, the newly defined safety protocol extension
for CIP Safety has already received concept approval from TUV Rheinland.
CIP Safety will allow both standard and safety devices to operate on the
same network. It will also allow safety devices to communicate seamlessly
across other CIP-based standard networks, such as DeviceNet, ControlNet
and Ethernet/IP, to other safety devices with no additional programming.
This approach will avoid the need for additional, expensive hardware,
such as gateways and bridges, as well as introducing network design
flexibility, easier training and maintenance, and a common view of both
standard and safety networked devices.
The first implementation will be over DeviceNet, and will provide
fail-safe communication between nodes, including safety interlock
switches, safety light curtains and safety PLCs. As an open standard, CIP
Safety will be suitable for safety applications up to Safety Integrity
Level (SIL) 3, as defined in IEC 61508. The protocol builds in a standard
set of services for control, configuration and data collection, and
provides the benefits of media independence, fully defined device
profiles, control services and multiple data exchange options, among
others.