Sensors & Transducers


Economical, long-range access and perimeter guarding

July 2001 Sensors & Transducers

Banner Engineering offers its EX-GUARD Grid System, a noncontact safety device for exceptionally long-range (up to 70 m) perimeter or access guarding of the body or torso. With fewer beams, this new system is significantly more economical than traditional light curtain systems. The low price, combined with the short output response time of only 24 ms, makes it a suitable alternative for guarding dangerous machinery such as assembly stations, moulding presses and automated production equipment. Other applications for EZ-GUARD include packaging, palletisers, roll formers and many types of work cells, including robot cells. In perimeter and access guarding applications, the sensing field is vertical (starting at the ground) or nearly vertical. In these large-area applications, personnel pass through the light grid, at which point the hazardous motion stops; then they may safely continue into the guarded area.

EZ-GUARD Grid is an optically synchronised, dual-microprocessor controlled, opposed-mode optoelectronic 'light grid' with solid-state safety outputs. The economical, two-part system consists of an emitter and a receiver. There is no need for an external controller or sync wire between the emitter and receiver because the system is synchronised optically. The receiver has two solid-state safety outputs to control 24 V d.c. loads up to 0,5 A. For AC loads or loads requiring higher currents, an optional accessory relay interface module is available, or discrete relays may be driven directly. The EZ-GUARD diverse-redundant and self-checking design achieves control reliability (Type 4, per IEC 61496-1).

The systems are lensed to minimise beam divergence and maintain a narrow field of view and can operate over long ranges, with a choice of emitters - either a 0,8 to 20 m or 15 to 70 m operating range. Models are available with two, three or four beams, with beam spacing from 300 to 584 mm. Emitters and receivers do not require matching serial numbers to work together - any pair of the same length and configuration may be used.

The grid's status indicators are clearly visible on each sensor's front panel, keeping operators informed of system conditions. The emitter and receiver each have a seven-segment diagnostic display that indicates specific problems or configuration conditions.

Other features include: selectable external device monitoring (EDM); selectable trip output with auto reset, or latch output with manual rest. The product offers a compact housing - 55 x 52 mm, multiple mounting options and removable wire terminal blocks.



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