CANopen-Safety-Chip CSC02 certified by TÜV

The CANopen safety chip CSC, which was developed and overhauled by a consortium, is now available in a new version CSC02. The TÜV Rhineland Group technical standards authority has released the CANopen safety chip CSC02 for safety-oriented applications up to SIL 3 (safety integrity level) in accordance with IEC 61508 (test report 968/EL 215.02/09).

The CANopen safety chip CSC02 is based on the 16-bit microcontroller M306N4 from Renesas. It has two internal CAN modules, which can be used redundantly. The CAN transceiver and the CAN cable are single channel connected. The external wiring of the microcontroller in the application (CAN transceiver, watchdog wiring, clock generator, etc) is not part of the pre-certification.

“The CANopen safety chip is a one-processor implementation,” explained Holger Zeltwanger, managing director of CAN in Automation (CiA). “It is intended in particular for simple sensors and actuators, but can also be used as a safety-oriented communications processor for more complex devices.”

The pre-programmed microcontroller contains the certified CANopen safety firmware including the CANopen protocol stack. The device manufacturer still has to program device specific safety application and have it certified by the responsible institutes.

So the CSC02 is an easy way to start the development of PESSRAL-components.

Weblinks

• can-cia.org/The CANopen Safety Chip CSC02