Safety, simplicity, and versatility are the driving influences behind the new AG4 Safety Laser Scanner, a two-dimensional optical safety device from Banner Engineering Corp.

Using pulses of infrared light to locate and measure the position of objects in its field of view, the AG4 effectively protects personnel, as well as stationary and mobile systems within a user designated area. A single device with a compact design, simple installation, and easy-to-use software, the AG4 is ideal for irregularly shaped safeguarding in applications where a standard two-or three-piece safety light screen will not work.

"We saw a need for a solution that could be used as a primary safeguard that would stop hazards at the perimeter of a guarded area, and a solution that could be used to prevent the reinitiating of a machine cycle while an individual is within the guarded area," said Mike Carlson, Safety Products Marketing Manager at Banner Engineering. "The AG4 will provide a solution in any number of stationary applications —such as area, vertical, access and perimeter guarding— but also is an excellent solution for collision avoidance on mobile vehicles such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs), overhead cranes, and transfer cart/trolleys." Some common applications for which the AG4 provides a solution includes multiple-zone monitoring, area access monitoring, and collision avoidance.
 

The AG4 operates on the principle of diffuse reflection (i.e. reflected light). Once the protective and warning fields are set to match the shape of the work area, persons or objects entering the protection field will be detected and a safety stop signal will be generated. The effective protection field resolution is from 30 to 150 mm, with ranges up to 6.25 meters, while the warning field has a range of up to 15 meters with a resolution of 150 mm. With a 0.36° lateral resolution, the AG4 can detect objects in a zone up to 190° from its fixed position. Additionally, the AG4 is constructed using rugged, die-cast aluminum housing intended to withstand the rigor of factory floors.

Key features of the AG4 Safety Laser Scanner:

* Highly flexible protective and warning fields can be set to match the shape of the work area
* Simple installation, easy to use software
* Five LED diagnostic display presents system status and diagnostics of devices without connecting to a PC
* Eight individual protective and warning field pairs configured using a PC
* Configurable response time from 80 to 640 milliseconds
* RS-232 and RS-422 PC interface connection; USB adaptor available
* System meets all requirements for Type 3 per IEC 61496-1/-2, Category 3 PLd per EN ISO 13849-1, and Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 2 per IEC 61508
* Two solid-state OSSD safety outputs (250 mA) and two solid state auxiliary outputs (100 mA).

About Banner.Banner Engineering is the world's leading manufacturer of indicator lights, photoelectric and ultrasonic sensors, vision sensors, electronic machine guarding systems, wireless networks, fiber optic assemblies and precision measurement systems.