HIMA presents smart COTS SIL 4 safety controllers at Nordic Rail in Sweden

Centre of attention at this year’s Nordic Rail (Stand B02:69) will be HIMA’s Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) safety controllers. Thanks to CENELEC SIL 4 certification, open interfaces and a standard operating system, they can be deployed flexibly in the railway industry. Lean solutions based on mass-produced, COTS controllers cost much less than traditional technology. They focus on what is important: safety. System integrators, rolling stock manufacturers and railway operators can use HIMA’s COTS controllers to implement their safety solutions economically, easily and quickly for applications such as interlocking, level crossings and rolling stock. They are proven for use in a variety of railway applications in more than 30 countries worldwide. Unlike proprietary safety technology, HIMA’s controllers are standardized products. The big differentiator for the rail sector is that these controllers have CENELEC SIL 4 approval, enabling system integrators, rolling stock manufacturers and railway operators to develop SIL 4 applications much more easily. In addition, the controllers communicate through open interfaces and use a standard operating system for easy deployment in the railway industry.

“COTS safety controllers are becoming the standard in the railway industry due to their deployment diversity and their lower capital and life cycle costs compared to proprietary technology,” says Sedat Sezgün, Head of HIMA’s Rail Segment. “Our customers in the rail sector appreciate scalable and flexible systems that ensure future-proof solutions over many decades with the added safety of SIL 4 approval. That is why COTS controllers from HIMA are being used more and more worldwide.”

HIMA safety controllers for the railway industry feature modern COTS components that are used and proven in the highly-regulated process industry, as well as factory automation. For centralized and distributed control systems, both redundant and non-redundant, COTS components from HIMA ensure reliable and continuous operation for safety-critical railway applications. These include electronic interlocking, level crossings, sensor-monitored door opening systems, electronically controlled anti-slip systems, dead-man’s vigilance devices, remote control, safe train movement and more.

The HIMax and HIMatrix safety controllers are vibration and shock resistant. HIMatrix is also available in extended operating temperature versions. They fulfil the requirements of EN 61373 Category 1 Class B. Both systems are certified by TÜV in accordance with CENELEC standards EN 50126, EN 50128 and EN 50129 for deployment up to the highest safety level SIL 4.