Jay RadioSafe from Conductix-Wampfler

April 2021. Conductix-Wampfler, one of the world's leading manufacturers of energy supply and data management systems for moving consumers and machinery, now has Jay RadioSafe in its portfolio, the latest generation of a unique standalone safety radio solution. "Whether in highly automated factories and warehouses, robotized manufacturing islands or continuous process lines, safety should be approached at system level, globally, to go beyond the individual machine safety design and to simplify the fleet management system tasks," explains Romain Herry, Global Business Development Manager Industrial Automation at Conductix-Wampfler. Both during maintenance interventions and in normal process operation, safety conditions can be optimized with Jay RadioSafe.

Safety stops for unlimited AGVs or AMRs

Whenever required, Jay RadioSafe triggers a global safety stop for an unlimited number of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV / AGS) or Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR). "Regardless of the system configuration, Jay RadioSafe can safely stop all vehicles thanks to a radio frequency signal permanently transmitted by a dedicated safety transmitter," Herry describes the advantage.

In an emergency, Jay RadioSafe triggers a global safety shutdown with time settings and defined stops that enable a controlled emergency stop of the mobile robots. Escape routes can be defined in advance so that individual mobile robots can still exit those areas before stopping. "Once the problem is solved and the emergency stop is completed, a restart of the entire fleet can be carried out fast and easy," says Herry.

Independence through interface with robot controllers

Jay RadioSafe is a fully type-tested electronic yet wireless system with SIL3 and PLe safety levels, certified by TÜV Süd. As a versatile solution, it is easily scalable for the entire life cycle of any robot fleet. Programming and data logging can be centralized thanks to a suitable interface with robot controllers, independent of the existing navigation solution.

Useful component to save energy

Jay RadioSafe is much more than the safety guarantor of individual transport vehicles. It can be intelligently used as an energy-saving management component for the entire AGV fleet. "With a maximum consumption of only 1.5 watts, RadioSafe conserves the battery of all AGVs during downtimes. Unneeded services on board the AGVs are flexibly switched off remotely and switched on again as needed," Herry describes another advantage.

Portable emergency stop for the operator

Should technician access to the core area of the industrial plant become necessary for maintenance, repair, or process optimization, Jay RadioSafe provides portable emergency stop switches to protect them. A 3-step trigger allows operation with the button half pressed. Should the operator release the emergency stop button in the event of a fall or fright, for example, or fully depress it in the event of an electric shock, operation stops immediately. In addition, four function keys allow certain commands to be sent to the machines. With a chest strap version, the emergency stop is always within reach, leaving both hands free to work.

Jay RadioSafe from Conductix-Wampfler convinces thanks to an intelligent overall concept:

• Maximum, TÜV-tested safety
• Controlled stop of AGV and AMR even in case of emergency
• Predefined stop positions during safety stops
• Fast restart of the entire fleet after an emergency stop
• Full flexibility in terms of system configuration and navigation solutions used
• Use for unlimited number of vehicles
• Wireless use with own fully embedded radio transmission
• Internal monitoring of radio signal quality
• User-friendly operating components