Safety and Security Package for AGVs

Pilz recently introduced a new safety and security package for safeguarding AGVs including safe area monitoring for collision protection against human interaction and AGVs, plus safe evaluation units and tamper protection, whether it’s for guide path or free-nav AGVs.

The complete solution includes safety laser scanners PSENscan (collision protection for humans and AGVs), modular safety relay myPNOZ and configurable small controller PNOZmulti 2 (as evaluation units), plus the industrial firewall SecurityBridge (tamper protection). Various control and signal devices, such as the evaluation unit from the operating mode selection and access permission system PITmode fusion, PITreader, the E-STOP pushbutton PITestop and the muting lamps PITsign, complete an efficient monitoring package for users.

The complete Pilz solution also covers tamper protection on mobile applications. The integrated security solution via the firewall SecurityBridge protects automated guided vehicles or vehicle systems from unauthorized access during wireless communication. It reliably ensures that no one can access the internal IT network of the mobile platform without authorization during operation. As such, the AGVs and their map data remain protected, and productivity is guaranteed.

Within the solution package, the safety laser scanner PSENscan enables safeguarding and productive area monitoring of mobile platforms. On guide path AGVs, PSENscan detects objects along the route, even at high speeds, and adjusts warning and safety zones in a functionally safe manner. PSENscan provides up to 70 protected fields. These enable dynamic protected field adjustment, even on free-nav AGVs. ROS packages (open-source robot operating system) for the PSENscan provide the data for dynamic navigation of AGVs. Users can apply these for their own SLAM algorithm (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).

If additional safety functions are to be covered on the AGVs, such as E-STOP for example, users can apply a flexible product solution comprising PSENscan and the modular safety relay myPNOZ. Should requirements change, myPNOZ can be expanded at will to suit any future addition to the function range. That enables a high degree of flexibility when designing mobile applications. With the configurable small controller PNOZmulti 2 with motion monitoring module, Pilz also offers an efficient and flexible solution for more complex protected field adjustments on freely navigating AGVs.