Space-saving, fast, and suitable for hand protection – that’s the new V300 WS safety camera system from SICK. It is the first device of this kind for securing hazardous zones according to Category 3 in compliance with EN 61496-1 and it meets SIL2 according to IEC 61508.

With the vision system, it is now possible to monitor operating areas on assembly, handling, and industrial robots, test equipment as well as other operable workstations and facilities involving cyclical or sporadic intervention with optimum safety and in a barrier-free way. The new system, mounting, and connection design allows in some cases enormous cost savings.

Safety from the corner

The V300 WS integrates the lighting and receiver of the image-processing sensor in a single housing. The compact triangular design allows a protected installation in or at the corner of the frame of a workspace or facility. On the opposite sides of the mounting location, a reflective strip is attached that the V300 WS permanently checks for any dirt, gaps, damaged sections, or infringement of the protective field. The camera system detects the reflective surface automatically and aligns the monitoring field with a 20 mm resolution accordingly. If a person reaches into the machine during the ongoing processing operation, the V300 WS responds within 20 ms, stopping the hazardous process immediately.

Opens up possibilities for barrier-free monitoring

The V300 WS now makes it possible to secure ergonomic workstations as well in order to permit agreeable and efficient working. Even as a single sensor, the V300 WS generates a protective field for machine apertures up to 1 m by 1 m. If larger monitoring areas are required, two devices can be synchronized with each other via a serial input, thus doubling the size of the protective field. If two sides adjoining at an angle require securing, in this scenario as well two safe vision sensors represent the perfect solution: the center brace at the corner junction can be left out so that the operator has barrier-free access to the machine diagonally across, e.g. for putting in or taking out larger work pieces.

Safety in the appropriate category

The V300 WS is the optimum solution for safety Categories 3 in accordance with EN 954-1 or, respectively, PL “d” according to EN ISO 13849-2 and SIL2 according to IEC 61508 that are not covered by safety light curtains. This means that the user has the opportunity of utilizing a more affordable Category 3 system for applications not requiring a Category 4 safety level according the risk assessment. If the danger analysis determines a protective requirement corresponding to Category 2, SICK’s safety portfolio provides a suitable solution for this task as well: the V200 WS, the “little brother” of the V300 WS.