23.03.2017 Views

wilamowski-b-m-irwin-j-d-industrial-communication-systems-2011

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

21<br />

Functional Safety<br />

Thomas Novak<br />

SWARCO Futurit<br />

Verkehrssignalssysteme<br />

GmbH<br />

Andreas Gerstinger<br />

Vienna University<br />

of Technology<br />

21.1 Introduction..................................................................................... 21-1<br />

21.2 The Meaning of Safety.................................................................... 21-1<br />

21.3 Safety Standards.............................................................................. 21-2<br />

Overview of Safety Standards. •. Basics of IEC61508<br />

21.4 The Safety Lifecycle and Safety Methods.................................... 21-4<br />

Generic Lifecycle. •. HAZOP. •. FMEA. •. Fault Tree<br />

Analysis. •. Safety Cases<br />

21.5 Safety Approach for Industrial Communication System......... 21-8<br />

Overview of Safety-Related Systems. •. Hazard and Risk<br />

Analysis. •. Failure Mitigation<br />

Acronyms................................................................................................... 21-15<br />

References.................................................................................................. 21-15<br />

21.1 Introduction<br />

Industrial <strong>communication</strong> <strong>systems</strong> take over more and more critical tasks. The criticality of the tasks can be<br />

of various types. One of the most common requirements is the achievement of a certain level of availability,<br />

in order to reduce times when a system is not productive. Therefore, a certain level of availability is economically<br />

necessary. As soon as such <strong>systems</strong> take over tasks that are critical for the safety of people or the environment,<br />

availability alone is not enough, but it is also necessary to achieve a certain level of safety integrity.<br />

The following are the typical safety functions in the field of <strong>industrial</strong> <strong>communication</strong> <strong>systems</strong> [WRA07]:<br />

• Emergency stop of an engine: In case of an emergency (e.g., an operator can be hurt), an engine<br />

has to stop immediately.<br />

• Unexpected starting of an engine (safe torque off): In case of maintenance activities, it shall not<br />

be possible that the engine starts unexpectedly.<br />

• Safe reduced velocity: It shall be guaranteed that the maximum safe level of velocity is not<br />

exceeded. Exceeding must be detected and velocity reduced.<br />

All safety functions reduce the likelihood of a person being hurt. The requirements to be met by such<br />

safety functions are specified in standards that are either generic, specific for a domain such as <strong>industrial</strong><br />

<strong>communication</strong> <strong>systems</strong>, or application dependent. All of them have in common that they specify<br />

a lifecycle model where a hazard and risk analysis, a safety requirements specification, a safety analysis,<br />

and safety validation are the crucial activities.<br />

21.2 the Meaning of Safety<br />

Safety is a property that is generally highly desired by the public. Safety consciousness is a property that<br />

is continuously increasing, and the demands that society puts on technical <strong>systems</strong> regarding their safety<br />

is increasing at the same rate. The term safety can be interpreted very broadly. Safety is used in various<br />

21-1<br />

© <strong>2011</strong> by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!