PROFIsafe
Encyclopedia
PROFIsafe is the first open functional safety communication technology for distributed automation systems worldwide. Its specification for PROFIBUS DP and PROFIBUS PA was published first back in spring 1999. It incorporates the knowledge of more than 25 renowned safety companies. Extensions for the Ethernet based PROFINET IO followed in fall 2005. More than 100,000 automation systems with more than 1 Million PROFIsafe nodes are currently in use worldwide (spring 2011).
In the past, safety automation had to be "hard-wired" and based on "relay" technology due to existing international standards. This changed with the advent of a new standard – IEC 61508 – specifying how microcontrollers and software can be used in safety automation. This triggered the development of PROFIsafe, which was to integrate safety into the existing standard PROFIBUS fieldbus technologies. PROFIsafe is designed as a separate layer on top of the fieldbus application layer and reduces the error probability of the data transmission to the level required by or better than the relevant standards. PROFIsafe messages are using the existing standard fieldbus cables in coexistence with the standard messages ("Single Channel"). PROFIsafe does not benefit from any error detection mechanisms of underlying transmission channels and thus supports the securing of whole communication paths, even backplanes inside controllers or remote I/O. PROFIsafe coined the term "Black Channel" for this concept, which now is adopted by most of the other safety fieldbusses. PROFIsafe can be used in safety applications up to Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL) according to IEC 61508, Performance Level "e" (PL) according to ISO 13849, or Category 4 according to EN 954-1.
PROFIsafe is using expanded fault (errors and failures) detection mechanisms such as
PROFIsafe is standardized in IEC 61784-3-3. It also is a Chinese standard (GB/Z 20830-2007).
PROFIsafe runs its own web portal on www.profisafe.net (see Web Links) with more details on the technology and hints for device developers, integrators and end users.
The PROFIsafe standard is maintained, updated and marketed by PROFIBUS International, a non-profit organisation administered from Karlsruhe
in Germany. PROFIBUS International is also responsible for the development of PROFIBUS
and PROFINET, an Ethernet
based fieldnetwork.
In the past, safety automation had to be "hard-wired" and based on "relay" technology due to existing international standards. This changed with the advent of a new standard – IEC 61508 – specifying how microcontrollers and software can be used in safety automation. This triggered the development of PROFIsafe, which was to integrate safety into the existing standard PROFIBUS fieldbus technologies. PROFIsafe is designed as a separate layer on top of the fieldbus application layer and reduces the error probability of the data transmission to the level required by or better than the relevant standards. PROFIsafe messages are using the existing standard fieldbus cables in coexistence with the standard messages ("Single Channel"). PROFIsafe does not benefit from any error detection mechanisms of underlying transmission channels and thus supports the securing of whole communication paths, even backplanes inside controllers or remote I/O. PROFIsafe coined the term "Black Channel" for this concept, which now is adopted by most of the other safety fieldbusses. PROFIsafe can be used in safety applications up to Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL) according to IEC 61508, Performance Level "e" (PL) according to ISO 13849, or Category 4 according to EN 954-1.
PROFIsafe is using expanded fault (errors and failures) detection mechanisms such as
- Consecutive numbering
- Timeout monitoring
- Source/destination authentication
- Cyclic redundancy checking (CRC)
PROFIsafe is standardized in IEC 61784-3-3. It also is a Chinese standard (GB/Z 20830-2007).
PROFIsafe runs its own web portal on www.profisafe.net (see Web Links) with more details on the technology and hints for device developers, integrators and end users.
The PROFIsafe standard is maintained, updated and marketed by PROFIBUS International, a non-profit organisation administered from Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
in Germany. PROFIBUS International is also responsible for the development of PROFIBUS
Profibus
PROFIBUS is a standard for field bus communication in automation technology and was first promoted in 1989 by BMBF...
and PROFINET, an Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
based fieldnetwork.