Certification of highly complex safety-related systems

Area of Science:

• Machinery safety engineering
• Control systems engineering
• Functional safety certification

Background:

• The certification of complex electronic systems for safety-related applications in the machinery sector requires extensive experience.
• The BIA has 15 years of experience in this domain.
• Machining centers utilize Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) and microcomputers for safety functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a systematic procedure for verifying and validating control systems in safety-related machinery applications.
• To illustrate the certification process using machining centers as an example.
• To describe the procedure for certifying software modifications in complex systems.

Main Methods:

• Description of control structure with integrated safety, diverse redundant architecture, cross-monitoring, and forced dynamization.
• Analytical measures: specification reviews, design reviews with test case specification, statistical analysis, and walk-throughs.
• Testing measures: systematic tests, Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) testing, environmental testing, and site acceptance tests.

Main Results:

• Detailed explanation of the systematic certification procedure steps.
• Presentation of results from the certification of drilling machines.
• Demonstration of a systematic procedure for certifying software modifications, proving non-safety relevance of changes.

Conclusions:

• A systematic approach is crucial for the verification, validation, and certification of complex electronic safety systems in machinery.
• The presented methodology ensures the safety integrity of control systems throughout their lifecycle, including modifications.
• The BIA's experience provides a robust framework for certifying safety-related electronic systems.