August 2, 2017 - The specification “PLCopen Safe Motion” version 1.0 – official release – is now available on the PLCopen website for downloading.
The introduction of safety approved networks makes the control of drives and motion more and more a software item: hard-wired systems are replaced by software commands over networked systems. This is also pushed by initiatives like Industry 4.0 to create more flexibility preferably at the same quality and price levels. However, the different networks come with different solutions, which create problems at the users especially in production environments with heterogeneous networks.
To harmonize this, PLCopen started a working group on Safe Motion, which created a generic proposal to solve the motion control safety aspects over the different networks like ProfiSafe, Safety over Ethercat, CIP Safety over Sercos, OpenSafety, CC-Link IE and Mechatrolink, as well as user area’s as described in OMAC.
Also there are many Safe Motion related commands, and it makes no sense that a function block is created for all of them while the functionality is mostly the same.
This new solution is based on an existing functionality as already specified in PLCopen Safety: SF_SafetyRequest. With this most of the safety drive functionalities can be mapped easily, especially by providing a “guideline” with defined naming conventions, containing a generic scheme how to name signals related to the functions supported by a safety drive. Combined with an I/O or Drive configurator these names can be generated automatically for the bits in the drive‘s status / control word, matching the drive‘s profile (symbolic names). This proposal is based on the architecture that the safety functionality is in the drive, incl. all relevant parameters.
This work is a continuation of the PLCopen Motion and PLCopen Safety activities, which both resulted in a suite of specifications. Inside these published specifications the safety aspects around motion have been described only partially. This new document fills this gap.